


The Heart Effect

by LinkCat



Series: A Single Flower [2]
Category: Trolls (2016)
Genre: Cannibalism, F/M, M/M, Mother-Son Relationship, Multi, Murder, Trust Issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-23
Updated: 2019-03-30
Packaged: 2019-11-28 06:32:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 26
Words: 27,168
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18204794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LinkCat/pseuds/LinkCat
Summary: Trolls learn to cope with life changing events.Chapter 1 summary:Victory shows his parents just how determined he is to live.





	1. Weak Heart Strong Soul

**Author's Note:**

> This is part 2 of "A Single Flower". I recommend reading part 1. It will make more sense. Sorry for any mistakes I make. I hope you enjoy!

It had been three years since Branch gave birth to four little babies. Several of the orphans had come of age and had set up their own flower pods in the troll tree. Branch, Creek, Guy Diamond, Sky, Stream, Sable, and Smidge remained in the bunker. They had been busy the last three years taking care of all eight of the little ones.

Basil had been learning how to get around really well despite his blindness. He had a huge grin on his face as he made his way towards his mother. He had an ice cube in his hand. It was a trick Smidge taught him. He opened her shorts up and put the ice cube in her shorts. He bolted and giggled loudly.

Branch squealed loudly and removed the ice cube. She saw her son running off giggling. She flushed and went to put the ice cube in the sink. She changed her mind and went to go find one of the boys. This meant war.

Victory looked up from his toys. He got up and walked over to investigate. He saw that his mom had a wet spot on her butt. “Uh oh, mom had an accident.”

“I did not.” Branch went behind Creek and put the ice cube in his pants. She scrambled away giggling.

“Ahhh!!!” Creek grabbed he ice cube and watched his wife run off. He laughed and chased after her. “Get back here!”

Victory giggled and chased his parents around for a few minutes, before stopping and breathing hard. He got short of breath very easily. He burst into tears and sat down. He didn’t like when he got short of breath.

Guy Diamond saw that he was short of breath. He picked him up and patted his little back soothingly. “Easy does it Victory.” He sat down with him and rubbed his back comfortingly.

Creek found Stream and put the ice cube in his pants instead. He laughed and bolted away.

Stream squealed and took the ice cube out of his pants. He tossed it away, hitting Sky in the head with it.

Sky felt the ice cube smack him on the forehead. He looked up from the book he was reading. “What was that?” He felt cold and wet on his lap. He looked down and groaned. “Ice guys, really?” He put the very tiny piece in his hair. He was hot anyway and was going to let it melt on his head. “Goofs…”

Branch came out of hiding and went back to the kitchen. She grabbed a glass and drank some water. She looked around for Basil. She set her glass down and squealed when he came up behind her with another ice cube. She grabbed him and laughed. “You’re a little squirt.”

“Oh no! I been caught!” Basil wriggled and tried to escape. “Help me Current! Keith!!!”

Keith came scampering in and looked up at Branch. He smirked and glared at her with his crossed eyes. “Put him down mama!”

Current peeked around the corner. He backed away and went back to the bedroom to play. He wasn’t as into rough play as his brothers. He was more worried about playing with his clay, glitter, and cotton balls. He was helping Sapphire, Aquamarine, and Meadow get it all over their toy blocks.

Branch set her son down and chuckled. “You two are so fierce.”

Basil suddenly widened his eyes. “Potty!” He bolted for the bathroom.

Guy Diamond got up and walked over to Branch with little Victory. “I’m going to the medical pod.” He left quickly.

Victory was still having trouble breathing. He was becoming listless and weak.

“Watch the kids Sky!” Branch hurried after Guy Diamond. “What happened?!”

Creek saw them retreat. He followed his mates and frowned. He had a bad feeling this was it. They were going to be saying good bye to their little tough warrior.

“He needs that surgery that Dr. Saza keeps telling us about…” Guy Diamond got to the medical pod and set him down. “Please help!”

Dr. Saza walked over and helped him get set up with medicine to help him breathe. He looked at his parents. “We can’t put off his heart surgery much longer. He’s becoming more active.” He knew Victory wanted to play so bad.

“Alright, do it.” Branch had tears in her eyes. She kissed Victory’s cheek and watched as Dr. Saza quickly took him back. She turned to her mates and hugged into them. She began to cry. She knew this day was going to come eventually, and it had her terrified.

Dr. Saza was glad Branch finally consented. He got Victory prepared for surgery.

Roughly four hours later, Dr. Saza came out of the back room. He washed his hands and walked over to Victory’s worried parents. “I did what I could. He might still die young, but I fixed his heart so he should be able to breathe easier now. He’s a tough kid.”

“Can I see him?” Branch had been worried and pacing the whole time. She wanted to make sure her baby boy was safe.

Creek sighed in relief and looked towards the back room. “Maybe now he might catch up in size with his brothers.”

Guy Diamond got up and investigated the inside of the back room. He knew he wasn’t allowed in there, but he wanted to see Victory very badly.

Dr. Saza walked past Guy Diamond and gently picked Victory up. He walked out to the main area of the medical pod. He set him down in Branch’s arms. “He’s starting to wake up, but he’s going to be very groggy. He’s going to need to be on bedrest for the next six weeks. I recommend he stay here to make sure he doesn’t get up and move around too much.”

Victory woke up in pain. He began to cry and looked up at his mama with worried violet colored eyes. He didn’t understand why he was in pain.

“There’s my tough baby boy.” Branch ran her hand through his long royal blue hair. “Proving to us that you’re our tough little warrior.”

Creek had tears in his eyes. He reached over and held Victory’s hand. “It’s alright son. Deep breaths. You’re going to feel better soon.”

Guy Diamond hated seeing the little guy in pain, but with as loud as he was wailing, he saw it as a good sign. He sat down by Branch and caressed his little leg gently. “It’s going to be alright Victory.” He was so proud of his tough little boy for being so strong.


	2. Snuggle Worm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Smidge goes to pay his little buddy a visit.

Smidge was on his way to the medical pod. It had been a few days since Victory had his surgery. He had Berry with him. He got to the medical pod and set her down in the bed with him. “Someone misses you little one.”

Berry snuggled right up to Victory. She loved the little trolling very much and had been restless the last few days. She was worried that something bad happened to him. She mewed and closed her glittery eyes.

Victory snuggled into her and looked up at Smidge with wide eyes. “Owwie…”

“I know you’re hurting little guy. I’m so sorry.” Smidge reached up and took his hand. “You’re very brave.”

“Want my mama…” Victory didn’t like that his parents had to leave him to go home and take care of his brothers. Tears ran down his cheeks. He was very sore and sad.

“I’ll tell her sweetheart.” Smidge got on the bed and sat down. He dried his face with a tissue and pulled Victory onto his lap and held him. He knew how much surgery hurt. He had had a couple of them a few years earlier. His memory was a lot better, and he hadn’t had a seizure in over two years. He appeared to have made a full recovery from the traumatic brain injury.

“I love you.” Victory sniffled and closed his eyes. He was groggy from pain medicine.

“I love you too my sweet little buddy.” Smidge hummed a lullaby to him.

Poppy came into the medical pod. He had seen Smidge walk in there. He walked over to him and smiled softly. “How is he doing?”

“He’s doing better. He had really needed that surgery.” Smidge gently set Victory down and climbed off the bed. “I need to talk to you. I’ve been wanting to ask you a question.” He took Poppy’s hand and took him outside.

Poppy’s heart began to race. They had been flirting with each other for the last three years, and he was worried about what the question would be. He was kind of hoping that the question was to be mates.

Smidge got him outside and looked up at him. “I’ve been doing some thinking, and if you’re alright with it, I was hoping we could make things official with us? Will you marry me Prince Poppy?”

Poppy squealed in delight and picked him up. He kissed him and nodded. “Yes!” He snuggled up to him and held him. “I thought you would never ask…”

Smidge kissed him back and laughed nervously. “I’ve been worried you would reject me, and besides I’ve been busy with helping with the kids. Things should be smoother now that Victory had his surgery.”

“I’m sure you been very busy. Eight kids is a lot, and it’s harder when two of them have problems. Basil is tough though, and Victory is a fighter. He’s so tiny for his age though. If there is one thing, I have learned about you however, tiny can mean mighty.” Poppy ran his hand through his long blue green hair. “How about the peak day of summer for our wedding?”

“I love that day. It’ll be perfect.” Smidge reached his hand up and took Poppy’s hand. “I can’t wait to be yours forever.” He was very excited. They had a lot of planning and he had a lot more to learn. He had been learning already, but he had more to learn now that he knew he was going to be a king. He never though in a million years that he would help lead a colony. It was a huge honor.

“Great! I will start making plans. You should set up meetings with dad. You have a lot to learn in order to be a king. We will be taking over when I turn twenty one. I’ll see you a little later.” Poppy kissed him again, and then ran off to make plans. Peak day of summer was only a week away. There was a lot to do and not a lot of time to do it. He couldn’t wait. He wanted to claim Smidge as his finally.

Smidge watched him go, and then walked towards the bunker. He had a look of pure bliss. He stumbled into the bunker and closed the door. He walked up to Branch and smiled up at her. “Your son wants you to come visit him.” He grinned. “And I will be moving out in one week.”

“You’re what?!” Branch widened her eyes. “Where the hell do you think you’re going?!” She didn’t want him to move out. He was a huge blessing to have around for multiple reasons.

“I’m going to get married to my soul mate.” Smidge snuggled into her and smiled wide. “I get my special now too. Just like you have your specials.”

“That’s great Smidge! Are you getting married to Biggie?” Branch had been too busy to realize that Smidge was actually more interested in Poppy.

“Oh, no Biggie and I are best friends. I’m getting married to Poppy.” Smidge smirked. “I’m going to be this colony’s king in less than three years.”

“Oh! That’s great! You’ll make a great king. I’m so happy for you.” Branch held him and smiled. She wanted him happy. After all that he had been through in his life, he deserved nothing but the best.


	3. Treasure The Moment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prince Poppy and Smidge get married.

A week went by faster then anyone expected. Everyone gathered at the concert mushroom for a royal wedding. Everyone was in attendance and dressed nicely, except for little Victory, who was still recovering from his surgery and Gold who was watching him. Even Branch had dressed up in a dark green dress, made just for the event by Satin and Chenille. They had done her hair up nicely. She was going to be right up there with Poppy and Smidge with Guy Diamond, Sky, Stream, and Creek as wedding partners.

Branch rarely wore girly things, even though she had relaxed considerably the last three years. It felt weird having nothing on under her dress but panties. She stayed close to Creek, Guy Diamond, Sky, and Stream. She knew they would protect her. She felt extra vulnerable when she dressed up.

Guy Diamond was dressed up too, which was very rare. He was sporting a white suit with a dark green tie. Stream, Sky, and Creek wore matching suits.

Smidge was dressed up in a black suit with a dark green bow tie. He had a crown tucked into his hair. He was nervous, but excited at the same time.

Poppy was also wearing a black suit with a dark green bow tie. He had his crown tucked in his magenta colored hair. He held hands with Smidge and looked at his father as he walked up to the concert mushroom.

Biggie was right up there taking pictures. He was very excited for Smidge and Poppy, but his heart was crushed. He had a huge crush on Smidge and wished he had said something about it sooner.

“Thank you everyone for gathering here today. I welcome you all here to witness the joining of hands of Prince Poppy and young Smidge. With taking hands and being married, Poppy will promise to take care of Smidge through sickness and health, and disasters and war, until death do him part. Smidge will take Poppy’s hand and take on responsibility of taking care of Poppy through sickness and health, and disasters and war, until death does him part. Smidge will take on the honor of being our king on his twenty first birthday on the first day of spring and will vow that he will take care of the village until an heir takes over on his twenty first birthday. Are you both in agreement?” Peppy smiled when both boys nodded. “Take each other’s hands.” He smiled and tied their hands together. “I now bind you as mates. You may kiss your husband.” He looked proud as he watched his eldest son kiss his mate. He had no doubt that they had a bright and wonderful future ahead of them.

After the wedding, everyone gathered for an after-wedding party. All the little ones chased each other around as everyone danced, sung, and hugged each other all evening long.

While the night was still young, Smidge took Poppy’s hand and looked up at him. He smiled and kissed his hand. “Let’s go home.” He walked around with Poppy to say good bye to everyone.

Poppy chuckled and held hands with Smidge as they went to tell everyone thank you and good night. He had a huge grin on his face. Smidge made him so happy, and he was finally all his.

Once everyone was told good night, Smidge headed towards their new flower pod. He had plans of claiming Poppy right away. He had a huge grin on his face as he opened the door and walked inside. “I had help from Sky with making this. What do you think?”

“It’s beautiful. I love the color.” Poppy looked around and smiled. It was weaved with royal blue and blue green hair. It was large in size, and still needed some furniture, but it was a great start.

“I got a bed back here.” Smidge led him that way and grinned. He made sure to get a large one, even though he was a small troll.

“Is it big enough?” Poppy looked at Smidge and chuckled.

“Mm…we might have to test that.” Smidge played with the rim of Poppy’s pants. He began pulling them off. He looked up at Poppy with a huge grin on his face. He helped him out of his clothes and shivered when Poppy helped him out of his clothes. He took Poppy’s member in his hand and began rubbing him gently.

Poppy moaned and bit his bottom lip. “Smidge, that feels so good.” He crawled into the bed and helped Smidge into the bed. He pinned him down and began kissing him passionately.

Smidge groaned and kissed him back. He wriggled under Poppy’s weight. “Mine…” He licked his lips and looked into his mate’s magenta colored eyes. “You’re all mine!” He wriggled out of his grasp and went back to work on his member. He took Poppy’s member into his mouth and began suckling on it eagerly.

Poppy smirked when Smidge wriggled. He knew he was going to be frisky. He held him for as long as he could, and then let him go. He gasped when Smidge took his length into his mouth. He reached over and took Smidge’s member into his hand. He began rubbing his swollen member gently. “That feels so good…”

“It does…” Smidge helped Poppy onto his back, and then repositioned so he was over Poppy’s member. He pushed himself over Poppy, so that his length filled him. He moaned and began to rock his hips.

“Smidge…” Poppy breathed hard and moaned. He rocked his hips in rhythm with his mate. He was extremely pleased. He reached over and continued rubbing Smidge’s length. When Smidge let out a release, he took his semen covered hand and licked the fluids off his hand. He was very pleased.

Smidge shivered in delight and moaned from the double sensation from his mate’s member and his mate’s hand. He was extremely pleased.

Poppy made happy noises as he filled his mate. He murmured that he was very happy.

Smidge repositioned so that his swollen member was over Poppy’s hole. He shoved his length into him and began to thrust happily. He kissed along Poppy’s belly and hip as he thrust. “I love you Poppy…”

“I love you too Smidge.” Poppy held his hair and pulled a little in pure delight. He was glad that they could finally be together, forever.

They took turns mating with each other for hours, making all sort of noises in their new flower pod, until snuggling up with each other for the night.


	4. A Tiny Kingdom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A small group of trolls enter Troll Village with a warning.

A few weeks had gone by since Smidge and Poppy got married. Everyone had got settled back into a normal routine. Branch packed up to go blackberry picking with Fuzzbert. She never went out alone, and she decided to bring Fuzzbert with her this time. They made their way to the blackberry bush, at the same time a small group made their way into the territory. They hadn’t seen the hairy troll or his female friend when they passed by. They entered the territory and were immediately confronted by Peppy.

King Peppy approached the small group of eight trolls. He frowned, noticing one of them was missing an arm, and appeared to be missing several teeth and an ear. He had several scars. He appeared to be a survivor of a vicious attack. He appeared to be heavily pregnant. “What happened?” The scars looked healed but fairly recent. They were still pink in appearance.

“Hello sir, my name is King Jupiter. Our village has been under attack for the last two years. We went from over a hundred, to just us eight. I’ve been trying to avoid the attacker, but everywhere we go, he finds us. We are trying to find a place to call home that is going to be safe from him. Please, Paprika was lucky to survive one of the attacks, and he’s going to have a baby any day now. I don’t want to push him further.” King Jupiter was a thirty-seven-year-old yellow troll with yellow eyes and red hair. He looked much older then he was due to two years of extreme stress. Half his red hair was streaked white.

King Jupiter’s son Prince Mercury looked around warily. He was an eighteen-year-old yellow glitter troll with orange hair and yellow eyes. He was very nervous.

Paprika was fidgeting nervously. The one armed nineteen-year-old red troll had pink hair and violet colored eyes. He was covered in scars from an attack almost six months earlier. He was pregnant with his attacker’s baby. He startled when Smidge came running over with a knife in his hand. He screamed and hid behind Mercury.

Smidge came running over, ready to defend the king. He frowned when he saw Paprika retreat behind Mercury. He stopped and looked at them all warily. “What’s going on?”

“This small group needs a safe home. One of the young trolls is about to give birth.” Peppy looked at Jupiter. “I’m King Peppy. This is Prince Smidge. I’m the leader here. I can let you stay, but I want to learn more about this attacker.”

“Nice to meet you King Peppy. I will be happy to explain in more detail. This troll’s name is Tourmaline. He’s a green glitter troll with white, dark pink, and pink three-toned hair. He has a dark pink eye and a green eye. He’s a very cruel troll. He tortures his victims, before killing them and spreading their body parts all over the forest. If you see him, you need to kill him right away. Be careful, he is very sneaky and dangerous.” Jupiter walked over to Paprika and held him. He knew he was scared.

A twenty-year-old orange troll with green hair and brown eyes named Carrot watched Smidge warily. He didn’t like that he was running around with a knife.

An eighteen-year-old rainbow troll was with them. His name was Harper. He looked around warily. His older brother was the attacker and was lucky to be alive himself. He was pretty sure his brother had never killed him because he was his brother. It still scared him a lot that his brother was so cruel. 

Barley, a seventeen-year-old maroon glitter troll with red hair and scarlet colored eyes watched on with wide eyes. There were several trolls gathering around them. He backed away and squealed when he ran into Poppy.

“Hey, it’s alright, you’re safe. I’m Prince Poppy.” Poppy gave him room, recalling how scared Branch was when they first met. He didn’t want to scare them too.

“His name is Barley, but we call him Crash, because he’s a little clumsy. Just like bumping into you right now.” Quill smiled softly. He was a forty-two-year-old purple glitter troll with red hair and scarlet colored eyes. He was Barley’s father.

Tiny looked over at Smidge curiously. The four-year-old was a dwarf sized green glitter trolling with dark green hair and baby blue eyes. He was an orphan. He stayed close to Jupiter. He was shaking in fear.

King Peppy nodded as he took in the information from King Jupiter. He turned to Poppy. “Hide them in Branch’s bunker. I want this place on lock down. Only those old enough to fight are to be out here. Get on it now.”

Poppy nodded and escorted the group of eight trolls towards the bunker. He explained to Sky what was going on and made sure that the eight got settled. He then went to make sure all pregnant, sick, and young were settled into the bunker.

“Where’s Branch?!” Sky looked around. He began to panic, realizing she hadn’t come back from blackberry picking. “We have to find her!” He grabbed supplies and put them in his backpack. He grabbed Stream and headed out with several other trolls to go find her. He wanted her safe.

Unfortunately, the realization came too late for Fuzzbert and Branch. They had been found by Tourmaline, who had knocked them out and carried them away. He found a cave and went deep within it. He started a fire and then took his knife and began cutting Fuzzbert’s hair off. He was curious what was under all that hair. He shuddered, thinking he was the ugliest troll he had ever seen. He began slicing him up, mindful of major blood vessels. He didn’t want him to die right away. He smirked when Fuzzbert woke up screaming in pain. He stopped and looked him up and down. “Oh, does that hurt? Here, let me make it better.” He took a stick and shoved it up Fuzzbert’s anus. He laughed when Fuzzbert screeched in pain. He let him live for now. He loved hearing the sweet sound of screams.

Branch was still out cold. She had been hit hard in the head. Tourmaline inspected her curiously. He had never seen a female troll before, nor had he ever heard of their existence. He decided not to harm her for now. He removed her clothes and began to check her body over. It was different then a male’s body. He wondered if she looked the same in the inside. He decided he would find out later. He didn’t want to kill her. She was obviously a rare treat. Instead, he positioned her and had his way with her, right in front of Fuzzbert.

Sky was out for several hours but was unable to find his sister. He came home with a heavy heart. He had a bad feeling in the pit of his gut. He had heard what Tourmaline was like. Tears ran down his cheeks, and his colors vanished to a dull gray. He was very sure she was dead. He cried into Stream’s shoulder. “I promised I would take care of her for the rest of her life. I broke my promise…”

“Don’t give up Sky. We’ll find her. She’s out there somewhere. She’ll make it.” Stream held Sky. He had gone gray too. He had become close to Branch. They all had. Tears ran down his cheeks as he looked at his brother and Guy Diamond. They had gone gray too. They all feared the worse.


	5. Living A Nightmare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Branch realizes how much trouble she is in.

The early next morning, Branch began to come to. She groaned and held her head. It was throbbing. She widened her eyes, realizing she was in a dark room. At least it appeared to be a dark room. She noticed little coals from what was left of the fire. She was sore from mating and was confused as to why she had no clothes on. She felt around and widened her eyes, feeling Tourmaline next to her. “Guy? Oh god, what happened?” She was very confused now. She got up and felt around. She could smell blood, which scared her. She found Fuzzbert and gasped when she felt that he was drenched with blood, and his legs felt chopped off. “Oh my god!” She screamed and scrambled back. She ran into the cave wall and shrieked. She was terrified.

Tourmaline had killed Fuzzbert before curling up beside Branch to go to sleep. He woke up when she let out screams. He smirked and threw some kindling on the fire. “We are deep in a cave. No one is going to hear you here.” He grabbed her and led her towards Fuzzbert’s body. “Your buddy didn’t put up much of a fight. He sure was a screamer though.” He laughed when she squirmed. “Are you scared?”

Branch felt his glittery hand wrap around her arm. She widened her eyes, realizing she was not with Guy Diamond. She was shaking hard. “What are you going to do with me?!” She tried to pull away and winced when he tightened his grip.

“As long as you stay and do as I say, you won’t get hurt. Disobey, and I’ll make your life a living hell.” Tourmaline had enjoyed mating with her and had no plans of killing her at all now. He was going to keep her as a sex slave.

Branch swallowed hard and grimaced. “OK sir, I’ll do exactly what you say.”

“Just to make sure you understand where I’m coming from, I’m going to make sure you can’t leave. Don’t worry, I’ll feed you.” Tourmaline quickly grabbed a thick stick and hit her very hard in the right leg, breaking her fibula.

Branch screamed in pain and collapsed to the ground. She reached over and held her right leg. She instantly went gray. She was petrified. “I don’t understand! I said I would do as you say!” She screamed when he grabbed her by the arm.

“Time to eat.” Tourmaline dragged her over to Fuzzbert and let her go. He cut out Fuzzbert’s liver and gave it to her. “Eat up.”

Branch cringed and cried out as she was dragged over to Fuzzbert. Her eyes went wide when he gave her the liver. She could smell that whatever was in her hand was blood rich. It was still very dark in the cave, even though the fire was starting to burn brighter. She looked up at the dark figure that was Tourmaline. “What is this?”

“I said eat it!” Tourmaline snapped. He forced the liver into her mouth. “Chew!”

Branch gurgled a scream but did as she was told. She was shaking as she ate the blood rich organ. She had no idea what she was eating, but she had a bad feeling in the pit of her gut that she didn’t want to know what she had in her hand. Tears streamed down her cheeks. She was terrified.

“Good, finish it all. I’ve got work to do.” Tourmaline grabbed both of Fuzzbert’s legs and left with them. He planned to dump them by the village that his small old village migrated into. He had a look of satisfaction on his face. Fuzzbert had made a delicious meal for him before he had gone to sleep. He ate the heart of each of his victims. He got close to the village, and then set one leg down by the blackberry bush he found Fuzzbert and Branch at. He then walked over to a boulder and set the other leg down. He headed back to make sure that Branch stayed were she was at. He returned with wood in his arms. He put them down and set some of the wood by the fire. The fire quickly lit up, lighting up the cave. He saw that she had finished the liver and was curled up in a ball nearby. He walked over to her and looked at her. “Aww, you went gray. That’s too bad. You were a pretty color.” He sat down by her and cocked his head. “Are you a mutated troll of some sort? I’ve never seen a troll without a member.”

“I’m not mutated. I just don’t have one.” Branch didn’t want to explain to this disturbing male that she was a female, and what that meant. She was trying to think of a way for her to escape. She wanted to get as far away from this jerk as possible.

“So, you can’t have kids?” Tourmaline was very curious.

“I’ve had five children. I can most certainly have kids.” Branch cringed when she realized she gave away that she had kids. She hoped he didn’t touch them. She wanted them all safe.

“Oh good, you can provide me with an apprentice. Hopefully he will have my taste for blood. It’s delicious, isn’t it? My organ of choice is the heart. The liver is also a nice treat. I saved your friend’s liver just for you.” Tourmaline smirked when she squirmed. “What’s the matter? You ate it all. I thought you liked it.”

Branch gagged, realizing she had eaten Fuzzbert’s liver. “I’m going to be sick.” She yelped when he jabbed her in the ribs.

Tourmaline jabbed her hard in the ribs and sneered. “Puke that liver up and I’ll beat the shit out of you!”

Branch cringed and put her hands over her head. She was shaking. “I need to pee…” She was worried that he would beat her if she peed herself. She wasn’t sure what to do. She’d been around an easily angry male before. She knew keeping him pleased would be very difficult.

“Then go take a piss.” Tourmaline rolled his eyes. He didn’t care if she left to pee.

Branch swallowed hard and moved away from him. She painfully made her way to a different area of the cave. She positioned herself painfully and shook as she went to the bathroom. She finished, and then carefully sat down away from the puddle of pee. She rested for a few minutes, before making her way back over to the fire. She laid down by the fire and closed her eyes. She was in a lot of pain, and terrified that she was going to die in this cave. She was worried that this male would hurt more of her family and friends. She hoped that her babies would stay safe. She didn’t want any of them to get hurt.


	6. A Fearful Father

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Paprika expresses how scared he is.

The same morning, everyone in the bunker began to wake up. Sky walked to the kitchen and began preparing for breakfast. He looked up when Paprika came into the room. He frowned, seeing he had a painful expression on his face. “Are you alright?”

Paprika was thirsty. He nodded slowly and cautiously made is way to the sink. He was shaking as he grabbed a glass and set up for some water. He drank it, and then set the dish in the sink. He cringed and held his belly. He was shaking hard. He was petrified of these new trolls. He had been through a lot since before, during, and right after the attack.

Sky stopped what he was doing and walked over to him. “You look like you’re in pain. Let’s get you settled down in a bed. You’ll be more comfortable.”

Paprika backed away and cringed when he ran into a wall. “Please don’t touch me. I’m very scared.”

“I just want to help. Follow me.” Sky motioned him towards Paprika’s temporary room. He went inside his room and made his bed comfortable for Paprika. “I’ll go get our medical troll. Lay down. It’s going to be alright.”

Paprika laid down and breathed hard. He hollered in pain during the next contraction.

Basil poked his head into Paprika’s room. He had heard him holler in pain. He walked over to the side of the bed and frowned. “Are you OK?”

Paprika looked at the almost four-year-old trolling. He swallowed hard. “I’m having a baby.”

“Oh! I get a friend!” Basil grinned ear to ear. “I love friends!”

“Let’s leave him alone Basil.” Sky came in and picked up his curious nephew. “Sorry Paprika.” He left with Basil. He set him in Guy Diamond and Creek’s room, before going back to Paprika’s room.

Gold came in with supplies. He set them down and walked over to Paprika. “I’m going to remove your pants now. Don’t worry, you’re safe.” He could tell that Paprika was petrified. He gently pulled Paprika’s blood-soaked pants off. He didn’t see the baby yet. He was afraid to reach over and touch, so he could check his progress. “Deep breaths. It’s going to be alright.”

“I’m so scared.” Paprika grasped the side of the bed and cringed during a contraction. This was his first baby. He screamed in pain.

Sky offered a hand and smiled softly when Paprika grabbed him with his hand. He held his hand and stroked it gently. “Don’t forget to breathe.” He recalled how scared Branch was when she had her quadruplets.

“Is Paprika alright?” Mercury peaked in the room and frowned, seeing that there was blood. He walked in and widened his eyes. “The baby is coming?”

“Yes, the baby is on his way.” Gold got a blanket ready. He saw a little tuft of hair now. “Not much longer Paprika.”

Paprika hollered in pain as he gave birth to a red glitter trolling. He immediately let Sky’s hand go and scrambled away. He was sore from the birth but was terrified that the baby would be like Tourmaline. He screamed when the baby began to cry.

The baby had pink and dark pink two-toned hair. He left out cries as Gold cleaned him up.

Gold frowned when Paprika scrambled away. His heart sank. He had heard what happened. He didn’t blame Paprika for being so scared. He wrapped the baby up in a blanket and watched the new father. “Paprika? You have a pretty little boy. He needs to have his first milk.” He walked towards him and cringed when Paprika screamed again.

Sky watched on and felt his heart break. He heard what happened too and was worried for the young troll and his newborn. It appeared that Paprika was rejecting him.

Mercury walked over to Paprika and held his friend. “It’s going to be alright Paprika. He’s not like Tourmaline the torturer. He’s his own troll. You’re safe, and your baby is going to be good.”

Paprika hugged into Mercury and shook hard. “He’s going to be like him. I can’t!” He sobbed into Mercury’s glittery skin.

Gold swallowed hard and looked down at the newborn. He knew there was a father who recently had a baby. “If you don’t want him, I’ll find him a new home?”

Paprika sniffled and closed his eyes. He was exhausted. “Find him a new home…”

Sky looked down and frowned. “I’ll raise him, but I need to take herbs so I can provide him with milk. I’ll feed him formula until then.”

Mercury looked over at Sky and widened his eyes. “You’re willing to take in a baby that is not even related to you?” He was stunned.

“That’s very nice of you Sky.” Gold walked over to Sky and gently set the newborn in his arms. “I’ll see if I can find a surrogate until you can feed him.”

Paprika moved away and curled up in the corner of his room. He cried into his hand. He was very upset.

“No trolls left behind.” Is all that Sky said to Mercury, before looking down at his new son. “Your name is Ruby.” He walked towards were the diapers were stored. He had a determined look on his face. He was going to keep this boy safe. It was the least he could do after losing Branch.

Mercury moved over to Paprika and held him. He was sad for his friend. He hoped that one day he would accept his little son. It wasn’t the baby’s fault, but it wasn’t Paprika’s fault either.


	7. Losing Hope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Branch loses hope that she will ever be found.

Over the course of the next two weeks, Tourmaline continued to capture trolls and kill them right in front of Branch. He force fed her body parts and kept her alive as promised. The back of the cave smelled like rotten flesh. She had watched several of her friends die, including Cooper, but luckily Sky and Smidge hadn’t been in that mix, nor did any of her children or her husbands. The light in her eyes had diminished. She was pretty sure she was going to die in there. She had lost hope.

Tourmaline sharpened his knife and watched her. She was curled up in a ball next to the fire. He got up and walked over to her. “Do you miss your children? Perhaps I can bring one of them to you.” He frowned, not getting a reaction. “Did you die on me?” He poked her with his finger. He sneered and kicked her. “Speak up!”

Branch winced and groaned. She was sore from being beaten more then once. Her leg had a constant throb from the break. It wasn’t healing right from being in a bad position. It caused her extra pain.

“You’re no fun.” Tourmaline thought for a moment, and then pinned her down. He looked down at her and smirked. “I know how to make you scream.”

Branch cried out in pain and clenched her fists. She was in so much pain.

Tourmaline had his way with her, and then got up and headed out. He walked towards the blackberry bush to see if anyone had gone down there today for a snack.

Back at the bunker, Basil was looking for a way to escape. His mama was gone for far too long. He wanted her to come back home. He found a secret entrance. He slipped out of the bunker and made his way towards the blackberry bush, where he knew his mother was last seen. He got over there and listened to the surrounding forest. He didn’t hear her. He smelled the air and picked up on the faint smell of rotten flesh. He wrinkled his nose and rubbed it.

Tourmaline saw the toddler. He smirked and made his way towards him. He grabbed him and put his hand over his mouth. “Hello kid…” He hurried towards he cave with him.

Basil let out a muffled squeal. He wriggled in Tourmaline’s arms. He was scared.

Branch heard Tourmaline return. She could hear whimpers. She sat up, realizing it was a child this time. Her eyes went wide, seeing that it was her son. “Don’t hurt him!”

“Oh? Is this one of your sons? Mm…” Tourmaline held Basil by one arm and inspected him.

“Mama?” Basil felt his arm go out of its socket when Tourmaline held him like that. He screamed in pain. His shoulder was dislocated.

“No! Please! If you must hurt someone do it to me!” Branch sobbed. She didn’t like that her baby was screaming in pain.

“Aww, did I hurt you? Poor baby.” Tourmaline pinned Basil down and pulled out his knife. He yelped when Basil reached over and bit him hard in the hand. “Ouch! You have sharp little teeth! You little fucker!” He shook his hand and glared at the young trolling. “I might have use for you. I’ll teach you to be like me instead of waiting for a child.” He smirked and looked at Branch. “I guess I don’t need you anymore.”

Basil glared up at Tourmaline. He kicked and tried to hit at Tourmaline. He was a very angry trolling. He cried out when he moved his arm wrong. It was hurting him a lot.

Branch cringed and sniffled. She had a bad feeling she was going to die very soon.

Tourmaline grabbed Basil’s bad arm and popped it back into its socket. He sat him up and held him with his other arm. “Listen kid. I won’t hurt you again if you do what I say, alright?”

Basil cried out when Tourmaline put his arm back in place. He felt urine drench his pants. He was shaking as he nodded. He didn’t want to hurt anymore.

Branch felt her heart break. She didn’t like that her baby got hurt. She moved closer, and then took her son into her arms. She held him close and cradled him. She kept him away from Tourmaline.

“Good boy. Snuggle with your mama and get some sleep. We have a lot to do tomorrow kid. I’m going to teach you everything I know.” Tourmaline laid down by the fire. He didn’t think Basil would leave. The kid looked too scared to leave his mama. Within about an hour, he was asleep.

Basil snuggled into Branch and sniffled occasionally. He didn’t want to let her go. He was petrified.

As soon as Branch heard Tourmaline snore, she set Basil up on his feet and whispered into his ear. “Run son. Please. I want you to go home. Please hurry…”

Basil nodded and hurried home. Once at the bunker, he crawled back in the way he came out. He made his way to Creek and looked up at him. “I found mama!”

“You found mama?!” Creek was surprised Branch was even alive. He quickly gathered Sky, Stream, and Guy Diamond. He carried his son out of the bunker. He could smell urine and blood on Basil, but the blood didn’t appear to be his blood. He got Smidge, Peppy, Poppy, and a handful of other trolls. He asked Basil to lead them back towards where he had found his mama.

Basil smelled the air and pointed them the way towards the cave. He got tense and hugged into Creek as they got close.

“This cave? Alright, everyone stay close.” Poppy made his way into the cave. He lite a torch as it got darker. Once they got near the back, he saw bones and dismembered bodies. He saw Branch by the fire and a troll that met Tourmaline’s description.

Creek stayed outside the cave with Basil.

Tourmaline woke up and sneered, seeing that he was surrounded. He pulled out his knife and grinned. “You came in on your feet, but you will be on you backs soon. I guarantee you that.”

Everyone who came to Branch’s rescue quickly swarmed Tourmaline. They pinned him down and gave Sky the honor of killing him. 

Sky gave him several blows to the heart. He backed away and dropped he knife. He turned to Branch and scooped her up into his arms. He cringed when she cried out in pain. He ran towards the bunker with her. He was extremely grateful she was alive.

Branch hugged into Sky and sobbed. “He hurt Basil!” She was completely nude. Her clothes had long been burned in the fire.

Everyone hurried after them. Creek heard that Basil was injured. It was no wonder he wasn’t using his left arm. He planned on getting him checked over.

Once they were settled into the bunker, Smidge, Poppy, Stream, and Peppy whom were stabbed by Tourmaline were inspected and stitched up by Gold. Luckily none of them had severe cuts.

Basil was checked and put in a sling. Creek was told that he was to not use that arm for a couple of weeks. Branch had explained that it sounded like the arm had been broken or dislocated. It wasn’t broken, so healing wasn’t going to take quite as long. He still needed to be careful for a month afterwards so he didn’t re-dislocate his arm.

Branch was checked over too. She had to have her leg rebroke, and then fixed. She also had fractured ribs, and lots of old and new bruises. Once her leg was set up in a cast and elevated, Creek and Guy Diamond bathed her and then settled down next to her. They each laid on one side of her, sandwiching her between them. They were extremely worried about her. She showed no sign of light in her eyes. They feared they would lose her, despite finding her alive. Only time would tell if Branch would regain hope, and colors. Everyone was worried about the young mother.


	8. All Her Sons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Branch’s babies try very hard to make their mama feel better.

The morning after Branch was found, she woke up with a very full bladder. She was sandwiched between her mates. She got up carefully, mindful of her cast and sore ribs. She grabbed her crutches and startled very badly when Creek got up to help her.

Creek gently scooped her up and headed for the bathroom. He had a feeling she needed to go potty. She had slept for nearly ten hours.

Branch winced and leaned into him. She swallowed hard when she got set down. She startled when he pulled off her nightwear and panties. She sat down and leaned on the back of the toilet.

“I’m so sorry mama…” Creek grabbed a washcloth and ran some warm water on it. He began to bathe her while she was on the toilet. He dried her off when he was done and put a clean set of comfortable clothes on her. He picked her up and headed back towards the bed. He was so worried about her. He set her down in the bed and placed a pillow under her casted leg. “Are you comfortable?”

Branch shook her head and grimaced as she shifted a little bit more. “I don’t think I’m going to be comfortable ever again.” She whispered. She settled on her back and closed her eyes.

Creek felt his heart break. Branch hadn’t shared what happened, and he had a feeling he might never know. He went to get her pain medicine. He hoped that would make her feel better. He came back and gave it to her with a glass of cold blackberry juice, since it was her favorite.

Branch quickly drank it all down. She hadn’t had anything blackberry for over two weeks. She wanted more, but also didn’t want a stomach ache. She looked at Guy Diamond, who was still sleeping. She learned a long time ago that he was a hard sleeper.

Victory walked into the bedroom and looked up at his daddy. “I want mama.” He had been worried about her. He had just barely been released to get out of bed. He wanted mama snuggles badly.

“Of course, baby. Be gentle. Mama has owwies on her chest and leg. She’s hurting like you hurt.” Creek gently picked his tiny son up and set him down by Branch.

Branch looked over and teared up. She hadn’t seen her baby yet and was so glad that he was still alive and moving around.

Victory moved over and snuggled into his mama’s shoulder. He hugged into her and frowned. “I sorry mama. I’m going to make it better.”

Basil led Bubbles, Sapphire, Aquamarine, Meadow, Keith, and Current into the room too. They all crawled up into the bed and snuggled up to Branch. Basil had told them about mama getting hurt by a meanie head.

Branch felt all eight of her babies snuggle up to her. She closed her eyes and cried happy tears. Her babies were all OK, and the only one that got hurt was alive and going to be just fine. “My babies…”

Creek grabbed a tissue and dried her face. “They missed you so much mama. We all did.”

Basil hugged one armed into his mama and sniffled. “I saved mama.”

“You did save me Basil. You’re my good boy.” Branch sniffled and held her boys. She looked up when Juicy and Berry joined them. She was surrounded by worried toddlers and pet glitter worms. “What is Berry doing here?”

“Smidge gave Berry to Victory. She keeps sneaking over here anyway and seems happier with him.” Creek smiled softly. “He says he is to get one of Berry’s babies when she starts having babies. I told him that was fair.”

“Oh…” Branch nodded slowly and took a shaky breath. She was in a lot of pain but having her babies all right there made her feel better. She closed her eyes and tried to think happy thoughts. It was the start of a lengthy recovery for her. She was going to try and stay strong for her boys.

Sky knocked on the bedroom door. He had little Ruby in his arms. He also had news for them.

Creek opened the door and smiled softly. “Come on in Sky.” He looked over at his wife. “She’s under a baby pile.”

“I see that.” Sky walked over to the bed and sat down by his sister. “Now that you had a chance to rest, I wanted to let you know, that you have an adopted nephew. I adopted him two weeks ago when he was born.” He gently showed Ruby to her. He gently tucked him in his hair after she had a chance to look at him. He then took her hand and stroked it. He had recently married Stream, just days before Smidge and Poppy had gotten married. He had found out good news just days earlier. “You have two nephews on the way. Stream and I are both expecting.”

“You adopted?” Branch saw the boy. She was very confused. She wasn’t surprised that he was pregnant though. She recalled shooing them to their room several weeks earlier when they got too frisky in the living space. She was glad he was happy.

Sky nodded and explained to her what happened. He was worried that she would be upset, after what happened with Tourmaline.

“I’m glad someone gave that poor baby a home. It’s not his fault. He’s like my baby.” Branch had her concerns, but she knew Sky was a good father figure for her boys and was going to be a good daddy. This gave her something to look forward to after all the yuck that she had endured the last two weeks.


	9. The Royal Future

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Smidge and Poppy find out some wonderful news.

A week after Branch was found and brought back home, Poppy was trying to help the eight new trolls settle into new homes. With the threat gone, they didn’t need to hide anymore. He was having a hard time convincing young Paprika that it was safe to leave the bunker. He decided to give him time. He wasn’t hurting anyone in the bunker, and it was large enough. He would come out eventually. He removed some of his hair with scissors and gave it to Mercury to help him with his flower pod. He smiled when he saw Smidge walking towards him. He stepped away and walked over to him. He frowned, realizing Smidge looked ill. “Are you alright?”

“I’m heading for the medical pod. I just puked. I haven’t felt good all day.” Smidge took Poppy’s hand and walked with him towards the medical pod. He didn’t want to be alone when he got checked over. He didn’t want to admit it, but he was nervous.

Poppy walked with him and smiled softly. He had a feeling he knew what was going on with Smidge. He had a feeling his little mate was pregnant. He certainly had been acting like it the last few days. He suspected he was pregnant too. He was having very odd cravings.

Once at the medical pod, Smidge got on a bed and looked at Dr. Saza. “I haven’t felt good all day. Been nauseous for about a week too.”

Poppy sat down beside Smidge and held his hand. He had a smile on his face. He had a good feeling about this.

Dr. Saza walked over and helped Smidge onto his back. He examined his belly and smiled up at him. “Congratulations Prince Smidge. You’re pregnant.” He was excited. Smidge’s baby would likely be the heir to the throne.

“Can I be checked too Dr. Saza? I suspect I’m expecting too.” Poppy laid down by his mate and smiled over at him. He pulled him in for a kiss. “I love you…”

Smidge sighed in relief and snuggled into Poppy. He kissed him back and held hands with him. “We’re going to be parents.” He grinned wide. He was very excited.

Dr. Saza examined Poppy’s belly and chuckled. “You’re pregnant too Poppy. Looks like you might have the first heir.”

“As long as they’re both born healthy, that’s what counts.” Poppy held Smidge and smiled widely. “I can’t wait to meet them.” He ran his hand through Smidge’s blue green hair. He was very excited.

“Healthy would be good.” Smidge hugged into Poppy and closed his eyes. “I love you Poppy.”

“I love you too Smidge.” Poppy kissed him, and then got up and helped his mate out of the bed. “We must tell everyone.” He planned on having a celebration. They would be having the first two babies of the next generation. One of which would one day take over as king.

About an hour later, Poppy had everyone gathered in front of the concert mushroom. He had even convinced Branch to come. He stood in front of everyone and smiled.

Branch was snuggled into Creek. He had her in his lap and was holding her. He wasn’t going to let her out of his sight anytime soon. He ran his hand through her hair and hummed softly. She was still very depressed, and he didn’t blame her one bit. She had a long way to go before she was going to feel more normal.

Smidge watched everyone gather. He had a hold of Poppy’s hand. He looked up at Poppy when it appeared that everyone had gathered.

“Thank you everyone, for gathering here today. I gathered you here with an announcement. In about five months’ time, we will be introducing our first and second born to the world. The first born will be the future heir to the throne. Both Smidge and I are expecting.” Poppy smiled when the entire crowd cheered in excitement. He looked hopeful. This was a start to a bright future for the whole colony. He couldn’t wait to hold his sons in his arms.


	10. Angry Branch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Branch finds out news that really upsets her.

A couple of weeks had gone by since the royal baby announcement. Branch was sitting in the living space, in her recliner chair. She was feeling a lot better, but still had a cast on her leg. She was reading to her babies. She showed them pictures that were in the book as she read each page. She was still gray but was trying to stay strong for her children. Once the book was done, she got up and used her crutches to make her way towards the bathroom. She closed the door and sat down on the toilet. She grabbed a trashcan, feeling a wash of nausea. 

Creek had seen her retreat for the bathroom. He stayed close but let her go in alone. 

Guy Diamond came in with a bundle of fire wood. He walked over to the fire place and set it down. He saw that Victory had stuck a crayon up his nose. He walked over and pulled it out. “Child…” He sighed and smiled softly. “Keep the crayons out of your nose. They’re for coloring.”

Branch cringed and began to get sick into the trashcan. She startled when Creek came in. She shrieked when he put his hand on her back to rub it gently. She was having a flashback. She had puked while captive, due to the nauseating scent. She had been beaten for it.

Creek cringed when she shrieked. He took his hand off her and let her puke in peace. He looked very worried.

Guy Diamond hurried into the bathroom and frowned. He looked at Creek. He was very worried.

Once Branch was done getting sick, she set the trashcan down and threw a roll of toilet paper at the wall angrily. Her cheeks were flushed. She got up and grabbed her crutches. She made her way towards the panic room. She was angry and didn’t want to frighten her children. She locked herself in that room and screamed angrily. She was very sure she had become pregnant because of Tourmaline. She didn’t want his baby. She wanted all her babies to be from Creek or Guy Diamond.

Creek followed and startled when she closed the door on him. He heard a muffled scream of anger from the other side. He looked at Guy Diamond and swallowed hard. “She’s pissed…”

“She’s scared.” Guy Diamond stood by the door and waited for her to come out. He was worried about her. He didn’t blame her for being so mad. Tourmaline had obviously hurt her badly. She hadn’t gone a night without nightmares since being saved. It broke his heart.

Branch came out of the panic room and looked at her mates. “Let’s go check to see how far along I am this time.” Her voice sounded winded and angry. She began to make her way towards the front door. She was really hoping that she was further along then she feared. Smidge had swiped her contraceptive pills just a couple weeks before she was held captive, because she was breaking Peppy’s rules. She had still mated with her mates, so there was a chance that this baby belonged to Guy Diamond or Creek.

Creek gently took her in his arms and carried her towards the medical pod. He loved spoiling her, and he knew she was having a hard time getting around still. He got her into the medical pod and set her down in a bed. “Can I get a pregnancy check please?”

Guy Diamond followed Creek and stood by Branch. He took her hand and held it.

Gold nodded and walked over. He examined Branch’s belly and looked up at her. “You’re about five or six weeks along with twins.”

“They might not be his babies.” Branch was worried, but some of the tension did release. She squeezed Guy Diamond’s hand and looked at her mates. “I’m scared.”

Creek sat on the bed and held Branch. He held her to his chest and rubbed her back soothingly. “I’m going to take care of you and your babies no matter what.”

Guy Diamond crawled in with them and sandwiched her between them. He held them and kissed her cheek. “I’m going to take care of you and your babies too. Our special. We got this.” He glanced over at Gold and smiled softly. “Can I get a pregnancy check too?”

Branch smiled softly when Guy Diamond asked for a pregnancy check. She hoped he would have a baby too. He needed to have a baby out of his own loins after losing Quartz.

Gold checked Guy Diamond and smiled softly. “You’re about two and a half months pregnant Guy.”

“You stopped taking contraceptives before Smidge swiped the pills?” Creek chuckled and reached over to kiss him. “Sneak…”

“Yeah, I wanted a baby. Especially with all the scary stuff going on with Victory. We needed someone tiny to love just in case.” It was an odd solution to the scare they had with Victory, but Guy Diamond was trying to make things better. He was also very much ready for another baby.

“I’m glad he did it, but we’re not losing Victory.” Branch sniffled and snuggled close to her mates. She suspected even before she got held captive that he was pregnant, but he ate odd food anyway, so there was no telling for sure. “You waited a while to check…”

“I was more worried about you.” Guy Diamond frowned and cuddled close to Branch.

“That makes sense.” Creek held his mates and closed his eyes. They were going to have eleven children soon. Their busy lives were about to get even busier.


	11. Fearful Trolls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Paprika has a panic attack, which sets off a chain of events.

It had been a week since Branch and Guy Diamond found out they were pregnant. If there was one thing everyone had learned about Basil, it was when he was determined to do something, he did just about everything he could to do it, despite his disability. He had wanted to hold Ruby since the day he was born, but Sky had kept him well hidden from his curious nephew. Basil waited until Sky had left Ruby in the cradle to go to the bathroom. He then made his way up into the cradle, mindful of his sore shoulder. He picked up his little cousin, and then made his way back off the cradle. He carried him towards the living space. He had a proud look on his face.

“Basil?! What are you doing with Ruby?!” Paprika had been eating some popcorn when he saw Basil come into the living space with the month and a half old baby. He set the bowl aside and tensed up.

“He wants to be held.” Basil made his way towards Paprika. “My cousin Ruby says hi!” He offered the baby to Paprika.

Paprika winced and scrambled away from them. He shrieked when he noticed that Basil was following him.

“Why are you running away?” Basil didn’t understand. He held the baby close as he followed Paprika. “Paprika…” He squealed when Sky hurried over and picked Ruby up out of his arms.

“Basil! I told you no!” Sky tucked Ruby into his hair scooted him towards the corner. “You’re going to time out for three minutes.”

Paprika watched Sky scold the naughty toddler from around the corner.

Basil felt the nudges and suddenly let out a scream. He had been startled badly and was scared. 

Branch came hurrying into the room with her crutches and scooped Basil up. “What happened?!”

“He was running around with Ruby in his arms. I was scooting him to the corner for a time out.” Sky looked angry. Basil had scared him.

Basil clung to Branch and wailed.

Branch frowned and put Basil in the corner. “Basil, you were told no.” She made sure his nose went to the corner. She winced when he hit her angrily. “No! Stop that right now!” She held his hands. She winced when he screamed.

Basil threw himself on the floor and had a full-blown tantrum. He was not a happy camper.

Sky frowned, noticing Basil was very upset. He winced, seeing that he hit Branch. He pulled Branch in for a hug. “He’s scared sis…” He had a feeling that the short time in the cave affected Basil too.

Branch dropped her crutches and sank to the floor. She put her face into her hands and began to sob. Basil’s tantrum scared her. He was starting to remind her of his father, which terrified her. She didn’t realize that part of it was his own traumatic experience, combined with normal toddler behavior.

Paprika moved closer. He had heard that Branch had been hurt by Tourmaline too. He knew how she felt. He pulled her in for a hug and held her.

Basil looked up when he heard his mama cry. He sniffled and snuggled into her. “I’m sorry mama…” He was shaking.

Sky frowned and pulled Branch into his lap. He held her and let Paprika and Basil snuggle with her. “Let it out sis…”

Branch sobbed into Sky’s chest. She snuggled into him. She needed her brother.

Paprika rubbed her back and looked at her cast. He hadn’t been captive as long as long as she had been. He had had a broken leg too but had pushed through the pain he had to escape while Tourmaline slept. He was extremely lucky to be alive and only have a couple of body parts missing.

Basil sniffled and cuddled close. “I hurt mama…”

“Mama is scared Basil.” Sky reassured. He reached over and rubbed Basil’s back. “It’s going to be alright.”

Branch gagged and tried to get up. She struggled to get back on her feet.

Paprika frowned and got up. He hurried over and grabbed a trashcan. He came back and gave it to Branch. He cringed when she began puking into it.

Basil widened his eyes when Branch puked into the trashcan. “Mama is sick.”

“Mama is pregnant baby boy. She’s going to have two babies in about four and a half months.” Sky reached over and rubbed Branch’s back.

Branch finished getting sick into the trashcan. She set it aside and took a deep breath. “Sorry…” She sniffled and looked down.

“Please don’t be sorry. I know exactly why you’re so scared.” Paprika grabbed a tissue and gave it to her. He looked at her belly and frowned. He hoped she wasn’t carrying Tourmaline’s babies. That was scary.

“I’m having brothers!” Basil suddenly looked all excited. He clapped his hands and snuggled into Branch. He reached up to feel her face and frowned, realizing she was crying. “Don’t cry mama. This is good!”

Sky got up and took care of the trashcan for Branch.

Branch looked at Paprika and sniffled. “He hurt you too.” She pulled Basil in and held him. She ran her hand through his long two-toned hair. “You didn’t deserve what you went through.”

“You didn’t deserve it either.” Paprika frowned and watched her snuggle with her son. 

“I get brothers…” Basil put his hand on Branch’s belly and grinned. “My brothers…”

Branch looked down and sniffled. She sat there and held Basil. She was grateful he had calmed down. He had scared her. Tears filled her eyes and ran down her cheeks. “I love you Basil…”

“I love you too mama.” Basil put his ear on her chest and listened to her heart beat. He didn’t understand why she was so sad. He wanted her to be happy.

“Take it easy Branch.” Paprika got up and retreated to his room. He wasn’t sure what to do. He felt bad for her, but he had his own anxiety and fears. He hoped one day they could help each other.


	12. His Story

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harper explains why Tourmaline did what he had done.

A couple of months had gone by, and everyone was gathered for a party. Harper was settled down in the back, watching the crowd as they danced. He was still trying to relax, but it wasn’t easy. A lot of trolls had found out that he was related to his crazy brother. He had never shown any signs of being like his brother, but it made those who knew wary. He took a fermented crab apple and chewed on it. He had become considerably drunk, but no one had anything to fear. He was vegetarian and had no taste for anything that flowed blood.

Jadice noticed that Harper was sitting by himself. He stumbled over and sat down by him. He was very drunk too. He smiled up at Harper, curious about his coloration. He had many different colors for his skin, and his hair looked like someone splashed paint into it. He was extremely colorful. “So…” He shuffled closer. “What was the deal with your brother?”

Harper finished the fermented apple and looked at Jadice. He had no problem sharing his brother’s story. “Tourmaline? He was getting ready to take over as doctor of our village. He was twenty-two and about to be given the all clear, when our fathers were in a terrible accident. Both of them had fallen out of the tree. Daddy Rainbow died instantly, but Papa Jade was rushed into the medical pod alive. He had sustained multiple injuries and was taken to the back for surgery. My brother went back there with him. Jade died on the table. My brother was very close to Papa Jade, and something in him snapped. He accused a troll named Heaven for the accident, even though Heaven had actually tried to stop the fall. He thought he pushed them. A week after our fathers died, both Heaven and Tourmaline disappeared. Heaven was later found all cut up with his arms and legs missing. He had been stitched back up, so that he didn’t die quickly. We found him alive, but my brother had removed his bladder. That poor troll died a slow and miserable death. After that, he started taking out all of our village members, one by one until all that remained were the eight that now live in this village, including myself. I saw him about a year ago. He didn’t drag me away. A matter of fact, he apologized to me for going crazy. I don’t think he ever planned to kill me.” He sighed and looked down at his hands. “The brother you all know about, was not the brother I grew up with. Tourmaline had a kind heart. I know it’s hard to believe, but he wasn’t always that bad…” He looked up and flushed, realizing that several other trolls had gathered to listen to the story. He squirmed nervously when he saw all the flushed and angry facial expressions. “You all don’t believe me…”

“It’s very hard to believe he cared about anyone.” Smidge had heard the whole thing. He had come over to make sure Jadice stayed safe. Jadice was one of his closest friends. He wanted him safe.

“It’s true…” Jupiter walked over and looked down at Harper. “He was about to be a doctor and showed a lot of promise. He broke all of our trust…”

“I believe you.” Jadice could see that Harper was uncomfortable. He hugged into him and held him. He knew how hard it was to lose an entire family. He was the only one left in his family too.

Harper hugged into Jadice and closed his eyes. “Thank you, Jadice. You’re very kind.”

Smidge watched Harper warily and flushed when he hugged into Jadice. He glared at him, giving him the stink eye, before backing off and walking towards Poppy. The pregnant dwarf troll didn’t feel like picking a fight. He planned to talk to Harper later and make it clear that he was to be kind to all of his friends and family, or else.

Jadice watched Smidge go. He looked at Harper and smirked. “Smidge looks worried. He probably doesn’t like that I am snuggled up to you.”

“He’s the prince. He probably wants everyone safe. I don’t blame him.” Harper looked sheepishly down at Jadice. He was starting to become aroused, being this close to a handsome dwarf troll. He had no control over it because of how drunk he was. “Have a good night Jadice.” He reached down and kissed his cheek gently. He stumbled towards his flower pod. He was staggering drunk and wanted to quit before he passed out or did something stupid.

Jadice blushed when he kissed his cheek. He got up and followed after him. He caught up and barely scrambled into Harper’s flower pod, before he had a chance to close the door. He looked up at him and smirked. “Why did you kiss my cheek?”

“I think you’re attractive.” Harper was flushed. He hadn’t expected Jadice to follow. He was pleasantly surprised.

Jadice looked up at Harper’s red and green eyes. He bit his bottom lip and rubbed his member. “I think you’re handsome…” He moved his hands over and pulled Harper’s pants off. He widened his eyes, seeing he was large and swollen. He gapped his mouth open and looked back up at him. “You came home to masturbate…”

“I did…” Harper smiled softly. “I had a gorgeous troll snuggled up to me, and it turned me on…”

“I can fix that if you want…” Jadice grinned and moved closer. He removed his own pants and pulled off his sweater.

“You would do that for me?” Harper blushed and looked down at Jadice. He took off his coat and shirt. He pulled Jadice close and tested a kiss. He liked it and drew him closer. He kept the lip lock and groaned happily.

Jadice nodded and grinned when Harper pulled him in for a kiss. He returned it and moved his hand over so that he was rubbing Harper’s swollen member gently.

“Mm…Jadice.” Harper gently repositioned Jadice so he was on the floor. He kissed along Jadice’s ear, neck, and chest. He looked up at him, before taking his swollen member into his mouth. He began to suckle gently.

Jadice took in a deep breath and moaned loudly. He whispered that he wanted him. He squirmed and let out a whimper when Harper’s tongue ran along his tip. He had never been so pleased in his life.

Harper repositioned and pushed his length into Jadice, filling him. He gently rocked his hips. Jadice was tight, and he didn’t want to injure him. He moaned loudly in pure pleasure.

Jadice gasped when Harper’s swollen cock filled him. He moved his hips with Harper and kissed along his belly and chest. He was too short to reach his mouth, but he wanted to show how satisfied he was.

The two mated on Harper’s living space floor for hours, before passing out beside each other. They were both extremely happy.


	13. A Protective Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jadice finds out just how protective Smidge is of him.

As morning rose, Jadice was the first to wake up. He groaned, feeling a pounding headache. He looked up at Harper and smiled softly. He had a feeling he drank too much the night before. He barely remembered anything from the night before. He got up and put on his pants. He was sore from a long night of mating. He wasn’t sure if that was an one night stand, or if they were going to be mates, but either way, it was totally worth it. He put on his sweater, and then walked over to the kitchen and got a glass of water to drink. He looked around at Harper’s flower pod. It was clean and well kept. He didn’t have much, which wasn’t a surprise considering that he pretty much had to start all over from scratch.

Harper woke up feeling nauseous. He sat up and looked around for Jadice. He frowned, worried that he ran off after their busy night. He was relieved to see the young male was still in his flower pod. He got up and walked over to him. “I enjoyed last night.” He knelt down and smiled at him. He took his hand. “Will you be mine, always?” He was worried that Jadice would consider this an one night stand. He didn’t want him to leave.

Jadice grinned and nodded. “I would love to be with you for the rest of my life.” He hugged into him and kissed him. “I was hoping that was more then a fun one nighter. What I do remember was great and you seem like a nice soul.” He snuggled into him and sighed softly. “I love you Harper.”

“I love you too Jadice.” Harper walked over to his clothes. He took them to the laundry and then went to go put on a clean set of clothes. He came back out and went to go make some breakfast.

Smidge found out that Jadice had left to go into Harper’s flower pod the night before. He immediately walked over to Harper’s flower pod and knocked on the door. He wanted to make sure Jadice was alright. His cheeks were flushed. He wanted to have a talk with Harper.

Jadice walked over to the door and answered it. He smiled at Smidge. “I’m in one piece.”

Harper set up to make pancakes. He waved to Smidge when Jadice answered the door.

Smidge walked right in and walked over to Harper. He wrapped his hair around him and began carrying him outside. “We need to have a chat.” He could smell mating and had many concerns.

“Smidge?! What’s the meaning of this?! Nothing bad happened last night. Put my mate down!” Jadice knew Smidge was protective. He didn’t want his friend scaring Harper away though.

Harper felt the hair get wrapped around him. He ended up knocking the bowl on the ground, making batter go all over the kitchen floor. He groaned, knowing that was going to be a headache to clean up. He looked at Smidge and sighed. He was used to being blamed by now for Tourmaline’s actions. He just hoped that it wasn’t going to get him killed this time.

“He needs to understand what he is getting himself into. Sky and Branch are going to freak out. You know how protective we all are of you.” Smidge got to the bunker and unlocked the door. He went inside and waited for Jadice to come in. He headed down the hallway and down the stairs. He knew Sky and Branch would want to be in this conversation. He got to the living space and pinned Harper to the wall.

Paprika jumped to his feet and widened his eyes. “What are you doing to Harper?!”

“Please don’t scare him away.” Jadice looked nervous. He followed Smidge and looked down when Paprika panicked.

“I’m going to have a talk. It’s alright Paprika.” Harper reassured his fellow colony member.

“Sky! Branch! Come in here!” Smidge called his best friends. He kept his eyes on Harper. He was suspicious that Harper didn’t seem at all alarmed to the fact that he was pinned to a wall with hair.

Branch came out and frowned when she saw that Smidge had Harper pinned to the bunker wall. “Let him go Smidge!” She shook her head and sighed. “I’m sorry Harper, he’s overprotective.”

“What’s going on?” Sky came into the living space and groaned seeing that Smidge had Harper pinned to the wall. “Smidge…”

“Smidge doesn’t like my choice in a mate.” Jadice frowned and looked down.

“In my defense we were pretty drunk last night, and we both consented. We made it official this morning. We’ll get married soon. I’ll take good care of him.” Harper squeaked when Smidge tightened his grip. “If I live to do it…”

“I don’t trust you Harper. Your brother kidnapped Branch and killed several of my friends. Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t kill you right now?!” Smidge snapped angrily.

“Smidge! Set him down right now!” Branch went to pull his hair off Harper. She gave Harper an apologetic look. She felt bad for him.

“Smidge let him go. He has done nothing wrong.” Sky frowned and crossed his arms.

Jadice frowned and watched Smidge. He had a feeling he knew what was going on. He had recently turned eighteen and Smidge had been acting strange around him. “Are you jealous Smidge?”

Paprika retreated for his room. He had seen more then he wanted to see.

“Oh…” Harper flushed and cringed. If that was the case, he was dead for sure. At least, that was what he thought.

“No, I’m not jealous. I want you safe Jadice.” Smidge let Harper go and sneered. “Tourmaline did a lot of damage. I do not want a repeat of those actions.” He was jealous, but he wasn’t going to admit that. He was going to ask Jadice to join him and Poppy, but it was very much too late now.

Sky walked over and whapped Smidge upside the head. “You don’t need to scare the crap out of Harper. He has done nothing wrong, you overprotective goof.”

A hair whapping fest began between Sky and Smidge. 

“Alright children, enough, before my babies come out and see you doing that.” Branch broke them apart and sighed.

Harper watched them and smiled when Jadice came over and snuggled into him. “I’m sorry to upset.”

“You haven’t done anything wrong Harper.” Jadice put his ear against Harper’s chest and listened to his heart beat. He smiled and took a deep breath. He had a feeling this wasn’t the end of Smidge being overprotective, but it seemed Smidge’s focus had shifted, for now. He was hoping this would be the start to a wonderful relationship. He couldn’t wait to see what the future held.


	14. Try Not To Panic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harper and Jadice get married.

A couple of weeks gone by, and everyone began to gather for a wedding. Jadice and Harper had cherished the last two weeks together and had made arrangements so that Harper would move into Jadice’s flower pod with him. They walked together, hand in hand to the concert mushroom. They were sporting matching suits, and had their hair decorated with flowers. Peppy waited for them on top of the concert mushroom. He was going to wed the pair. He had a warm smile on his face. With Harper’s marriage, the two colonies would officially become one.

Smidge and Poppy stood in front of the mushroom. They were too pregnant to do the ceremony themselves. It was not practical. They held hands and smiled at each other. Smidge had calmed down considerably the last two weeks. He had decided he just wanted Jadice happy. It meant the world to him that Jadice had such a huge smile on his face.

With everyone gathered, Peppy went through the vows and tied their hands together. He smiled at them. “You may now kiss your husband.”

Harper knelt and kissed Jadice. He felt on top of the world. He was going to have Jadice for the rest of his life. This felt like a huge step towards normalcy. Something he hadn’t had in over two years.

Out of sight and blended in the trees was one of the Troll Village members. He had lost several family members and a few friends to Tourmaline. He didn’t like Harper and was livid that he was now considered a part of the village. He had a bow and arrows with him. He waited for the right moment and took aim. He released the arrow, hitting Harper in the chest.

Harper felt the sudden penetration. He gasped for air and looked down at Jadice. He mouthed that he loved him, before collapsing to the ground and dying. The arrow had penetrated his heart, and he quickly bleed internally.

Jadice was yanked to the ground when Harper fell. He was still tied to him. He had a look of shock. He was married to his husband for less than five minutes, and he was already widowed. He turned gray and began to sob. He could tell that Harper had been killed. He showed no sign of life.

A panic followed. Those who were pregnant, sick, or young were quickly taken to the bunker to hide. Scouts began searching for the murderer. Jadice was freed from his tie and carried to the bunker by Sassafras.

A scout found the murderer. He took him to King Peppy and held him.

“Yarrow? How could you? This troll was innocent.” King Peppy looked angry.

“His brother killed so many! I didn’t trust him! I’m glad he is dead!” Yarrow snapped angrily. He had shown no signs of feeling sorry for what he did.

“Yarrow, I sentence you to death for this unspeakable crime. This sentence will be carried out immediately. I do not want a repeat of these actions.” King Peppy had the scouts pin him down. He took his knife and cut open Yarrow’s throat and watched as the murderer bled to death. He stepped back and looked at Harper’s lifeless body. They now needed to plan a funeral. “Take Yarrow’s body away. I do not want to see it anymore.”

At the bunker, Sassafras was holding young Jadice. He ran his hand threw the young widower’s hair. His heart was broken for his friend. This wasn’t fair at all.

Jadice was pressed into Sassafras. He was sobbing inconsolably. He maybe have only been mated for a couple of weeks, and married for a few minutes, but he had quickly bonded with Harper. He was shaking upset.

Branch walked over to Jadice and rubbed his back gently. She sat down by Sassafras and gently took Jadice so she could hold him for a little while. She dried his face of tears and sniffled. “We’re all here for you Jadice. He didn’t deserve this. You didn’t deserve this.” Tears ran down her cheeks. She was very sad for him.

Jadice leaned into Branch’s swollen belly and took in a deep breath. He could feel the twins moving within her. He knew there was a chance that Branch was carrying one or two of Harper’s nephews, and Ruby was also his nephew. He planned on spoiling any of Harper’s remaining relatives as their uncle. They would never get to know Harper. It wasn’t fair.

A few hours later, everyone gathered for Harper’s funeral. Several of Jadice’s friends and the seven remaining colony members from Jupiter’s colony stood close to Jadice. They were worried about him. He was still crying and was gray. They didn’t want to lose him too. They were going to watch him and make sure he was taken care of, in Harper’s honor.


	15. Tiny Hearts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Guy Diamond and his family have a tough evening.

As evening came to the village after Harper was murdered, Guy Diamond became increasingly uncomfortable. He wasn’t due to have his baby for a few more weeks, but it was becoming very clear that this baby was ready to come now. He was worried that the stressful events of the day may have induced labor. He swallowed hard and leaned onto the couch. He breathed hard and looked up at his worried mates. “The baby is coming…”

“Let’s get you to the medical pod daddy.” Creek gently picked Guy Diamond up and carried him towards the medical pod. He looked worried. Guy’s baby was going to be premature. He really hoped this one would make it. They didn’t need to lose this baby too. Especially not today of all days.

Branch followed after Creek. She looked very worried. She silently prayed that this little one would be tough and make it. Guy Diamond didn’t need another loss.

Guy Diamond cringed when he was set down. He held his belly and breathed. “I’m so sorry.” Tears filled his eyes and ran down his cheeks. He was scared that he would lose his son. This one was Creek’s baby. He definitely didn’t want him to die.

“Don’t be sorry Guy. It’s been a stressful day.” Creek took Guy Diamond’s hand and held it. He was very nervous as well.

Branch sat down by Guy Diamond and took a tissue out of her hair. She blew her nose and sniffled. She had been crying and holding Jadice a lot. She was very sad for him. She reached over and caressed Guy Diamond’s hand. She was hoping this baby had a strong will to live.

Gold came over and checked Guy Diamond’s progress. “The baby’s right here Guy. You’re doing a great job.”

Guy Diamond hollered in pain as he gave birth to a tiny premature boy. He looked like Creek but had white in the place of the capri blue. He looked worried when Gold took him away and began working to get him to cry. “Please cry…” Tears ran down his cheeks. He was scared.

Creek watched on with wide eyes. Victory had been smaller, but Victory also had a week longer to have a chance for his lungs to mature. He was very worried this one was just too early.

Branch buried her face into her hands and cried. It was taking way longer then she liked for this baby to cry.

After lots of stimulation and pats on the bottom, the little boy began to let out soft cries. He wasn’t giving up without a fight.

“That’s a good boy. Cry nice and loud for me. Tell the whole world how mad you are.” Gold rubbed him a little bit more and then wrapped him up in a blanket, so he didn’t get cold. He gently put him on Guy Diamond’s chest and pat his little back. “He needs to stay here a few days. I want to make sure he’s alright.”

“I want to name him River.” Guy Diamond sniffled and held his baby close. That had been extremely scary. He was glad that his baby boy was alright.

“River sounds like a good strong name.” Creek nodded in agreement and reached over to caress the little one’s cheek. “You scared us baby boy.”

Branch slowly relaxed and looked over at the baby. “Hello River, I’m your mama.” She reached over and put her hand on his back. “Welcome to the world little one.” She sniffled and rubbed her face of tears. That had been terrifying.

Back at the bunker, things were not going any smoother. Jadice was in the bunker to be monitored. There were still several trolls there to support and hug him. They were all very worried.

Victory had suddenly collapsed, due to his heart. He passed out and wasn’t breathing.

Sassafras had noticed and rushed to the little boy. He began preforming life saving measures on the limp toddler. He checked his pulse and didn’t find one. He had tears in his eyes as he gave him a few breaths. “Not now kid, not ever.” He compressed his chest several times, and then checked his pulse again. This time, he felt a very faint heartbeat. He got up and ran out the door with him.

Jadice watched the whole thing with wide eyes. He followed Sassafras. That boy was precious. He hoped that he wasn’t dead or dying. “Is he gone?!”

“No, but he’s not breathing.” Sassafras gave him a breath as he hurried to the medical pod. He got in and set him on the bed. “Gold!”

Gold hurried over and checked the boy over. He quickly took him to the back room. He looked very worried.

“Was that Victory?!” Creek got up and hurried over. He winced when Gold shut the door and locked it.

“What’s going on?!” Guy Diamond looked worried. He had little River nursing. He had seen the tiny boy before he disappeared into the back room.

Branch widened her eyes. “Is my boy alright?”

“I don’t know. He suddenly collapsed. I’m sorry.” Sassafras was shaking. He hugged into Jadice and started to cry.

Jadice hugged Sassafras and cried with him. It had become a very rotten day. He hoped Victory made it.

All three parents watched the back door with wide eyes. It wasn’t for another half an hour until Gold came out. “He’s alive. Having surgery. I need some blood.” He walked over to Creek and took some of his blood. He hurried back to the back.

Creek didn’t hesitate to give his blood. He was glad to hear that their baby was alive.

Branch was on her side in a bed. She had Jadice in her arms. They held each other. Both looked very upset.

Guy Diamond had River on his chest. He watched the back door. He was very worried about Victory.

It wasn’t for another few hours, until Gold came out with Victory. He set him down by Branch and wiped his face of sweat. “I had to open him to get his heart going at a good rhythm. I did some more repairs while I was in there, that I was going to wait to do until he was older. He’s a tough kid. I’m sorry I didn’t explain sooner. I didn’t want to lose him.”

“It’s alright. Thank you for saving him.” Branch was worried that one day they would lose him forever. That had been very close and petrifying.


	16. Unintentionally Naughty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Basil tries to comfort his little brother and gets into trouble.

Just days after the chain of events the proceeded Harper’s death, Basil had snuck out of the bunker in the middle of the night. The four-year-old made his way towards the medical pod. He missed his brother Victory and wanted to snuggle with his younger brother. He had heard that he was hurting. He wanted to make it better. He got to the medical pod and climbed into a bed. He didn’t find his brother there, so he checked another one. He found him and snuggled close.

Victory was on heavy pain medication but was awake enough to know his brother had snuggled into him. He whimpered in pain and put his hand on his brother.

Guy Diamond heard the whimper. He looked over to make sure Victory was alright. He was in a bed right next to his son. He blinked a few times, seeing that Basil was there. “How on earth? Basil? What are you doing here?”

“My brother needs me.” Basil closed his eyes and yawned. He hadn’t slept well since finding out that Victory was sick.

“Does you mom know that you left?” Guy Diamond got up and walked over to the bed.

“No…” Basil frowned and held Victory’s hand. “She said I couldn’t come.”

“Basil, she told you no for a reason. I’m taking you back home.” Guy Diamond picked up Basil and held him close. “Victory is alright now. He needs to stay here and feel better. He’ll be home before you know it.”

Basil burst into tears and began to cry. He reached towards Victory. He didn’t want to be away from him.

“I know buddy, it’s very scary.” Guy Diamond carried him towards the medical pod door. He left and headed for the bunker.

Basil rubbed his eyes and sobbed. “Take me back!” He was shaking. He was afraid Victory would disappear like some of his mama’s friends had.

“Victory needs to rest buddy. I know you want to snuggle, but it’s safer this way.” Guy Diamond got to the bunker and walked Basil to his room. He set him down in bed and tucked him into bed. “I’ll come get you for a visit in a few more days when he’s feeling a little better and is up for company, alright?”

“He needs me…” Basil hiccupped and put his thumb in his mouth. He didn’t like that he was taken away from his brother.

“Get some sleep sweetie. I’ll be home tomorrow with baby River.” Guy Diamond kissed his forehead and walked towards the medical pod. He got back and set up River to nurse. The little one was doing really well considering he was premature. After he was fed, changed, and burped, Guy Diamond walked over to Victory and laid down with him. He held the poor little guy and began to sing a soft lullaby. He hadn’t slept much so that Creek could be at home to help Branch, but he wanted to make sure that River and Victory were taken care of. They both needed to be here, and he needed to be with River to feed him anyway.

A young father named Humble came walking in. He had a toddler in his arms. The baby was chocking. He set him on the bed and watched in horror as Dr. Saza worked on trying to remove a small toy out of his throat.

Guy Diamond watched with wide eyes as the baby went limp. His heart pound in his chest as he watched Dr. Saza rush the baby boy to the back for emergency surgery. He turned to Humble and frowned. “What happened?”

“He got into his older brother’s room and put a small toy in his mouth. His brother woke up and saw him chocking.” Tears ran down Humble’s cheeks. He was worried about his little boy.

Dr. Saza came out several minutes later. He had the toy in his hand, and a grim look on his face. “I’m very sorry Humble. I got it out, but I couldn’t revive him.”

Humble began to sob. He put his face into his hands. “Oh god…”

“I’m very sorry Humble.” Guy Diamond rubbed his back soothingly.

Dr. Saza looked over at Victory. He let out a sad sigh. “Humble, your boy’s heart could save another baby’s life, but I need to get your permission. Can I give his heart to Victory? He might die at a young age without it.”

Humble nodded quickly and without hesitation. If something good was going to come from this awful night, he wanted it to happen.

Guy Diamond gapped his mouth open. He hugged Humble and cried happy tears. “Thank you Humble. You have no idea how much this means to me and my family.”

Dr. Saza gently picked up Victory and took him to the back room. He set him up for surgery, while the heart was still fresh.

“I get visitation rights.” Humble sniffled and snuggled into Guy Diamond. “Please…”

“Of course, Humble…” Guy Diamond held the grieving father. He had given his son the ultimate gift of life. He was extremely grateful.

Several hours later, Dr. Saza came out with Victory. He laid him down in a bed. “He did very well. He’s going to need to stay here to be watched, but I suspect he will now make a full recovery.”

“Thank you Dr. Saza.” Guy Diamond had gone home, and come back. He had told his mates what was going on. He was so glad that Victory made it through surgery again. He hoped now he could finally live a normal life.


	17. Loving Brothers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Victory gets lots of brother snuggle time.

It had been a few days since Victory had his heart transplant. He had a fever, and everyone feared that his body might be rejecting the heart. Dr. Saza had him on medication to try and reverse this, but Branch, Creek, and Guy Diamond thought it was best for all his brothers to see him one more time, just in case things didn’t come out right and he ended up dying despite their best efforts to extend and better his life. They got his seven older brothers out of the bunker and set the oldest, Current up onto the bed first.

Current looked down at his little brother. He looked worried. “Is he gonna die?”

“We don’t know baby. He’s very sick.” Branch ran her hand through Victory’s long royal blue hair. She was very worried about her baby. He looked so frail.

“Owwie…” Victory grimaced and began to cry.

Basil crawled into the bed and snuggled into Victory. He didn’t touch his chest. His parents warned that his chest hurt really badly.

Keith reached up and frowned. “I want to be up there!” The four-year-old dwarf trolling was very worried about his brother.

Creek picked Keith up and set him down in the bed next to Victory. “Remember little ones, don’t touch his chest. It hurts a lot.”

Guy Diamond took the clothe that was on Victory’s forehead. He walked over and ran cold water on it. He returned and put it on his forehead. “There you go little warrior. You keep fighting for us. I know you can do it.”

Meadow crawled into the bed next and snuggled carefully. He sniffled and rubbed his face of tears. He was scared that his brother would disappear.

Sapphire and Aquamarine crawled into the bed next. They sat down and each put a hand on each of Victory’s legs. They looked very worried.

“Mew.” Berry crawled into the bed with them as well. The pet glitter worm was looking fat. She had snuck out a month and a half earlier and ended up getting pregnant. She looked worried for her buddy. She could sense that he was in danger of dying.

Dr. Saza walked over with medicine. He gently sat little Victory up on his bottom and slowly gave it to him. “Your fever seems to have come down. You’re doing very well Victory. Are you hungry little one?”

Victory took the medicine like a champ. He looked up at Dr. Saza. “I want ice cream.”

“Of course, you do.” Branch smiled softly. She looked at Creek. “Can you go see if Biggie has some of that yummy peach sorbet that he sometimes makes?”

“Yes dear. I take it you might want some too?” Creek chuckled when she nodded. “Coming right up.” He left to go get some peach sorbet.

Smidge came into the medical pod. He walked over and stood on his tippy toes. He had heard that Victory was very sick. He was relieved to see he was awake and surrounded by family. “How is my tough warrior?”

“His fever has gone down a little bit since we started him on medications. Only time will tell if he’ll make it. He’s sure trying.” Branch explained. She sat down in a chair and put her hand on her swollen belly. The twins were moving around and stretching. She was tired and uncomfortable.

“He’s hungry enough to want ice cream. It’s a good sign.” Dr. Saza laid him down on his back and ran the clothe along his face and neck. He was worried about the little guy. He really wanted him to make it. He was glad that Humble let them have little Flame’s heart. After the surgery to save his life a week earlier, he was told by Gold that he probably wasn’t going to live to be a teenager. As long as he made it through this fever and possible attempt at rejecting the heart, he had a chance of living well into his adulthood or even die of old age thanks to the heart transplant. It was a much better prognosis.

Creek soon returned with two bowls of vanilla ice cream. One had blackberry topping. “He didn’t have any peach, but I thought you wouldn’t turn down some vanilla.” He gave one to Branch, and then set up Victory to eat. He put him on his lap and began to feed him the ice cream.

Branch happily ate the bowl. She had a small smile on her face, and her eyes were lit up a bit. She loved blackberries, and vanilla ice cream always made it taste even better, if that was even possible.

Victory slowly ate the ice cream. He glared at Bubbles when he walked up to Creek and opened his mouth. This was his ice cream, not Bubbles’.

Guy Diamond chuckled, seeing Bubbles open his mouth. “You can have ice cream later Bubbles. This is Victory’s ice cream.”

Bubbles pouted and crossed his arms. “I want some.”

“You will have some later.” Creek smiled softly. It was refreshing to see Victory glare. He had been so listless but seemed to have got his spark back. He was hoping this was a good sign.

“We need to really thank Humble and Jasper. They gave us a huge gift. I can’t think of what would be a big enough thank you though…” Branch thought out loud. She wanted to make sure Jasper and Humble were taken care of. Losing a baby was hard, and she couldn’t imagine losing a two-year-old. That was rough. 

“I want to make them a blanket.” Creek smiled softly.

“I was going to make a stuffed teddy bear. One in memory of little Flame.” Guy Diamond reached into his hair and pulled River out. He set him up to nurse. He had begun to fuss.

“I was thinking of making a scrapbook. I will ask Poppy for help.” Branch smiled softly and looked at Smidge.

“I’ll ask Biggie if he has any extra pictures of Flame. I think a scrapbook would be a great idea.” Smidge nodded and smiled. He was more than happy to help.

“I want to help!” Basil smiled and got off the bed. “What can I do?”

“Give Humble and Jasper lots of hugs. They need it right now.” Branch gave Basil the rest of her ice cream. She was uncomfortably full. She giggled when he began eating it up. He was being glared at by his brothers and he was obviously trying to get it down before his brothers stole the bowl.

“I can do that.” Basil licked his lips and gave the empty bowl back. He had a look of satisfaction on his face. Mama shared with him this time. It made him feel good.

“I will give hugs.” Victory said sleepily. He was full and tired. He was so ready for a nap and was feeling better thanks to the medicine. He still had a long way to go, but everything for him was looking up.


	18. Baby Worms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Berry blesses the family with her own little family.

Two more weeks gone by, and Victory seemed to have gotten past the dangerous part of his recovery. He remained in the medical pod for observation, and to assure he didn’t move around too much. Everyone was snuggled in bed for the night. Everyone but Berry.

“Creek? Wake up. Berry’s acting strange.” Branch shook Creek gently. She had a concerned look on her face. The normally passive and calm worm was mewing and insisted she lay down right beside them. They had taken her home, since she was due at any time to have her little babies. They didn’t want her to have the little ones while with Victory. It just wasn’t safe.

Creek yawned and sat up. He looked at Berry and smiled. He could see that she was in labor. “I’ll go get Smidge. He’s going to want to watch.” He got up and got dressed. He headed out the door to get Smidge.

Branch gently picked up the laboring worm and set her down in a box that contained blankets. She carried the box towards the living space. She gently set the box down and smiled down at Berry. “Stay right here mama. I know it hurts. I won’t be long.” She went to get towels and water for the laboring worm.

“Mew!” Berry crawled out of the box and crawled after Branch. She looked up at her when she caught up. She was a nervous first time mother and didn’t want to be alone.

“Clingy girl.” Branch carefully crouched down, mindful of her swollen belly, and picked Berry up gently. She walked to the bathroom and grabbed some towels. She also grabbed a glass of water. She carried her back to the box and set her down. “It’s going to be alright mama.”

Berry crawled out of the box and laid down on a towel in Branch’s lap. The nervous pet was very clingy. She tensed up, expelling a baby worm.

“Look at you, being so brave. You really trust me, don’t you?” Branch cleaned up the baby glitter worm. It was pink with blue stripes and green blush. She set the little girl down in the box and smiled softly when Creek came back with Smidge. “She just had her first one.”

“Aww, it’s very cute.” Smidge walked up and smiled at the little baby.

“I wonder how many she will have.” Creek sat down and watched the laboring worm.

Berry looked at the box with interest. She moved into the box and snuggled with her baby.

“I’m guessing three.” Branch gave Berry some water. She cleaned the second baby when he was born. He was purple with pink stripes and blue blush. “I have a feeling she found a handsome male. These babies are pretty.”

“I like that one. I might take that one.” Smidge had a huge grin on his face. He looked forward to having a new glitter worm. He was glad Creek got him to watch this. Berry was originally his pet after all.

“Whichever one you want, that baby will be all yours Smidge.” Creek smiled at Smidge.

Berry birthed one last baby. This one was yellow with green stripes and orange blush. She watched Branch clean him up. She mewed and snuggled with her babies.

“Who makes pretty babies? You do!” Branch was relaxing considerably. Watching the birth made her happy and gave her hope for a better future. She got the baby cleaned up and looked up at Creek. He looked shocked. “What?”

“Your colors are back.” Creek had tears in his eyes. He was worried she might never get them back. He scooted over and pulled her in for a hug. He was not expecting this to cause her to be happy again, but it was a huge relief.

“Branch makes pretty babies too.” Smidge grinned and moved over to give Branch a huge hug. “I’m glad you’re feeling better.”

Branch looked at her hands and then up at Creek and Smidge. She smiled and hugged into them. She knew that she would always have residual fear from what happened with Tourmaline, but she did feel much better. She let out a soft sigh. “Berry is a miracle worm.” She whispered. “Thank you, pretty girl…”


	19. Baby Palooza

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The population is about to increase dramatically.

About three weeks later, everyone gathered at the bunker for a birthday party. It was Branch and Sky’s birthday. Sky, Stream, Smidge, and Poppy were all due to have their babies any day now, but all were in attendance. It was important to them to be there for Branch’s birthday. She was a couple of weeks from her own due date and they knew she was nervous. They knew she was still afraid she would have Tourmaline’s babies.

Biggie came in with cake and ice cream. Sable was helping him carry things in. The two were really starting to hit it off, but Sable was still under age. Biggie was waiting for him to turn eighteen, before asking him a very important question. He was more then happy to wait. Once everything was set down, he hurried over to the nesting box that Berry was in. His face melted. “Look Mr. Dinkles, you’re an uncle.” This wasn’t the first time he had seen the babies, but it was the first time Mr. Dinkles came over to see. He didn’t want to upset Berry. She was a protective mama worm.

“Mew.” Mr. Dinkles looked down at the tiny worms. He didn’t seem very interested.

“Mew.” Berry looked up at her brother. She got between her babies and him.

“Be careful, she’s vicious.” Creek teased as he came over and picked up one of the babies. He handed Biggie the baby and smiled. 

Biggie looked at the baby and cooed. “He’s very cute.” He had a feeling they were not going to have any trouble finding homes for these little baby worms. 

“The purple one is mine.” Smidge came walking over. He put his hand on his swollen belly, during a contraction. He looked like a yellow gooseberry. He showed no signs of being in pain.

“Biggie probably has his hands full with Mr. Dinkles. I don’t think you have anything to worry about Smidge.” Sky walked over and chuckled. 

“Smidge? I know this is crappy timing and we just got here, but I think my baby is coming.” Poppy walked over and grimaced during a contraction.

“It’s OK, we will have to move the party to the medical pod. I’m having a contraction too.” Sky smiled softly and breathed. He grimaced and teared up. It was no wonder everyone he had been around hollered in pain during labor. Contractions really hurt.

“Stream?! Sky’s having a contraction!” Creek called his brother. He went to go find him. He found him in the bathroom, holding his own belly. “Are you serious?! I know all four of you were due, but you had to go into labor all at the same time?!”

“I guess so.” Stream leaned on the wall and breathed. Once it was over, he walked out of the bathroom and grabbed Sky’s hand. He headed towards the medical pod with him. “They’re going to have a busy night at the medical pod.”

Smidge grabbed Poppy’s hand and walked with him towards the medical pod too. He stopped and bit his bottom lip during a contraction.

Branch saw the scramble and looked at Creek. She watched as Stream, Sky, Smidge, and Poppy all left one right after the other. “Let’s go after them.” She asked Biggie to watch the kids. She packed up a slice of cake to go but ended up dropping it when her belly tightened up. She grimaced and put her hand on her belly. “Mm…”

Creek noticed it and gently picked her up. He headed out the door with her. “Looks like there are going to be six babies sharing yours and your brother’s birthday.”

“More to celebrate on mid-winter’s day.” Guy Diamond followed them. He had a huge smile on his face. 

Branch hugged into Creek and breathed. “I love you both…” She was very nervous.

Creek got into the medical pod and set Branch down in a bed. He looked over at the other laboring fathers and smiled softly. “Who wants to take bets on who will have the heir? Smidge or Poppy?”

Gold had seen all those laboring parents and scrambled to get Dr. Saza. There was no way he was going to do that alone.

“I vote Poppy.” Stream smiled softly and then cried out during a contraction.

“I vote Smidge.” Sky breathed hard and looked over at his bestie.

“I vote a healthy baby.” Poppy grasped the side of the bed and groaned. He wasn’t sure who was going to have the baby first. They both seemed to be having contractions at the same time.

“I agree with Poppy.” Smidge swallowed hard.

“Smidge will get that baby out first. I’m sure of it.” Branch took Guy Diamond’s hand and squeezed it tightly.

Gold and Dr. Saza returned. They checked each parent. They each got set up by Smidge and Poppy first. They were the closest to having their babies.

“You’re doing great Smidge. Almost there.” Gold got ready to catch Smidge’s firstborn.

“I see a tuft of hair Poppy. You’re doing great.” Dr. Saza watched with amazement. He was pretty sure he was going to deliver the next generation of leadership.

Smidge and Poppy gave birth at the same time. Silence came over the room as Gold and Dr. Saza cleaned the little princes. The silence was broken by the wails of two healthy newborns.

Smidge looked down at his son and smiled at him. He was pink like poppy, with blue green hair. He was dwarfed sized and healthy. “My boy…” He was very happy.

Poppy looked down and smiled at his son as he cried. He was yellow like Smidge, but with bright pink hair. He was normal sized. “Our boys came out at the same time. As far as I know, that has never happened before. I’ll have to talk to dad about that.”

“My baby is coming out!” Stream reached over and caught his son as he was born. He was periwinkle with two toned green and royal blue hair. He cried on his father’s chest.

Gold gently set Smidge’s baby down on Smidge’s chest and hurried over to Stream. He cleaned the baby up and chuckled. “Hello little one.”

“Hello Periwinkle.” Stream looked at Sky. “Is that an OK name?”

“Yeah, I like it.” Sky looked up at Dr. Saza when he came over. He cried out as his own son was born. He looked up and smiled as he watched Dr. Saza clean his son. He was a mini version of him. “Hello baby boy. If it’s alright with Stream, I want to name you Kelvin. He smiled at Stream when he nodded.

“What are you naming your boys Smidge and Poppy?” Branch asked curiously. She breathed during a contraction.

“We had names picked out before they were born. They will be announced in a week when they are introduced to the colony.” Poppy smiled over at Branch. He wasn’t going to give it away.

“Fair enough.” Branch groaned and closed her eyes tightly. “Oh god, the baby is coming!”

Gold hurried over and caught a lavender boy as he was born. He had green hair. He smiled as she cleaned the baby boy up. He gently gave him to Creek when he was all clean. “He’s yours daddy.”

“Creek’s baby!” Guy Diamond wanted to cry out with joy. He was really hoping that the twins would be Creek’s or his.

Creek grinned down at the baby and then smiled at Branch. “He looks a lot like a lilac bush.”

“Hello Lilac.” Branch breathed and groaned when she felt the second baby get ready to come. She cried out as he was born. She looked up and frowned, seeing he was a blotchy mix of teal, green, light green, and blue. Sort of like Harper was with his coloration. He was a glitter baby, with a mix of different shades of blue, royal blue, and sky blue in his hair. He was a very unique looking baby. He cried as he was cleaned.

“I’m sorry Branch.” Guy Diamond realized he celebrated too soon. His heart broke for her.

Creek looked worried. He hoped Branch would accept him. It wasn’t his fault.

Gold got him clean, and then gently put him in his mama’s arms. “He’s very cute.”

It took a few minutes, but Branch slowly relaxed and cradled the second twin. Tears ran down her cheeks. She wasn’t going to blame him for his father’s behavior. It wasn’t fair to do that. “Welcome to the world little Peridot. Mama loves you unconditionally. You’re my baby boy.”

“You’re very brave Branch.” Guy Diamond dried her face and smiled softly. He was glad she accepted her son.

Creek looked relieved. He helped Branch set up to feed their newborn sons. He couldn’t be any prouder of her.


	20. The Ultimate Gift

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Smidge and Poppy introduce the new princes to the colony, and Branch has a talk with Humble and Jasper.

A week had gone by since six little trollings were born. Everyone was gathering at the concert mushroom to meet the new princes and to find out which one was going to one day rule the colony as King.

“Dad? There is something we need to talk about regarding the heir? Smidge and I gave birth at the same time.” Poppy wasn’t sure how this was going to work. It wasn’t going to be fair if they favored one prince over the other. Especially since Smidge’s baby was born smaller. He certainly didn’t want to play favorites.

“Who was born first?” Peppy thought there was a simple solution to this. Whoever came out first would be ruler. It didn’t matter if they were born on the same day.

“They both came out at the exact same time. You can ask Gold and Dr. Saza for confirmation, but they even started to cry at the same time.” Poppy looked over at Gold and motioned for him to join them.

“That’s impossible. They couldn’t have come out at the same time.” Peppy thought Poppy was joking. “You’re pulling my leg.”

“It’s true your majesty. I saw it with my own eyes. Those boys came out at the same time and cried at the same time.” Gold came walking up and smiled softly. “Poppy is not pulling your leg.”

Peppy thought for a moment and grinned. “There is a simple solution to this. They can choose between them when they turn twenty-one who will lead, or if they can’t decide they may split colonies and rule their own kingdoms. I will not make this unfair for either boy.”

“Sounds like a good solution to me dad.” Poppy hugged his father and walked over to Smidge. “The decision has been made. It’s time.” He took his hand and walked with him to the concert mushroom. Once in front of everyone, he pulled out his baby from his hair and watched Smidge pull out his baby from his hair. “Thank you for joining us today. I would like to present to you Prince Chamomile.”

“And I would like to present to you Prince Parsley.” Smidge held his son close. He looked very proud.

Jadice watched on with a small smile. He had his hand on his belly. He hadn’t told anyone yet, but he had found out a few days earlier that he was expecting twins. He wasn’t sure what he was going to do, but he was very happy for his best friend Smidge and his mate Poppy. They both looked very happy, which made Jadice happy too.

“Both babies were born at the same time on the same day. Following tradition, the first born will rule our kingdom. One of these boys will chose to rule as our leader in twenty-one years, or they may choose to split the kingdom into two and rule their own. We will leave that choice up to them when they are old enough to make the decision.” Poppy cradled his son and smiled at the crowd as they cheered happily. Once everyone settled, he set his son in his hair so he could be cozy and warm. He gently took Parsley and put him in his hair next to Chamomile so they could keep each other warm. “Thank you again for coming. Have a good night.” He took Smidge’s hand and walked towards their home. He didn’t want the babies out long.

As everyone began to leave, Branch walked over to Humble and Jasper. She had Victory in her arms. She wanted to make sure he had a chance to see the introduction of the heir. “Before you two go, my mates and I have talked, and I have very special gifts for the both of you. I can’t thank you enough for giving Victory the gift of life.” She gently gave Victory to Humble. “He has one too.”

Victory hugged into Humble and smiled. “Thank you, uncle Humble.” He reached over, wanting to hug Jasper too.

Humble held Victory and smiled. “Hello sweetheart. It’s good to see that you’re feeling better.” It was hard to believe that his son’s heart beat in the chest of this tiny boy. He gently handed him to Jasper when he reached for him.

Jasper took the boy and hugged him gently. They had promised to take care of him and Branch, Creek, and Guy Diamond’s children if anything ever happened to them. He was one of their godsons. “I love you, kiddo.”

Once Humble’s hands were free, Branch reached into her hair and gently took out Lilac. She gave him to Humble. She then reached into her hair and pulled out Peridot. She gave him to Humble too. “I know they won’t replace Flame, but I can’t express enough my gratitude for your selfless actions. All I ask in return for my youngest sons, is visitation rights. They were also a little premature, so I would like to nurse them until they are weaned to make sure that they have a better chance at a healthy life.”

Humble gapped his mouth open and looked at Branch. He thought for a moment that perhaps Branch was rejecting Peridot, considering who the father was, but he quickly pushed that thought away. She was not only giving up both twins, but she also requested visitation rights and to feed them. This was an offer to adopt, not a rejection. “I don’t know what to say…”

“How about thank you so much?” Jasper had tears in his eyes. He reached over and gave Branch a huge hug, sandwiching Victory between them gently. “Are you sure about this? You went through so much, and you’re giving two lives in exchange for a heart that would have otherwise gone with my son. You are being too generous.”

Branch hugged him back and gently took Victory. “Nonsense. You two gave me a precious gift. I wish I could give you more. Creek has a present for you too, but it’s not done yet. Guy Diamond has one that is almost done. In about four weeks, you will also get a new pet. Our glitter worm had three babies, and your sons will need a little pet to chase around and love.”

Victory had a huge grin on his face. “My Berry wanted to give you a present!”

Humble was crying now. He gently put the twins into her hair and pulled Branch into a hug. “You have blessed our lives so much during this difficult time Branch. Thank you so much! Feel free to come regularly to see the babies. You’re incredibly sweet. Until they are weaned, we will be over at the bunker a lot to bond with them. I can’t wait to take them home.” He sniffled and dried his face of tears with the sleeve of his sweater.

“Thank you, Branch.” Jasper sniffled and gave Victory one more hug. “You two better go inside before you catch a cold. We will be by a little later to visit.”

Branch nodded and walked towards her mates. She had told them she wanted to do this alone. They had worried looks on their faces but were proud of her for making such a hard decision.

“You’re so very brave Branch. I’m so proud of you.” Creek pulled her in for a hug and ran his hand through her royal blue hair. “You didn’t have to do that.”

“You’re so sweet.” Guy Diamond hugged into her and smiled. “Let’s get you inside mama. You feel cold.”

All three of them walked home together. Victory was going home early, but he was doing well. They couldn’t be happier. They were told because of Flame, Victory would now live a full life. They were all very grateful for the precious gift of a healthy beating heart.


	21. The Widower Father

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jadice has decisions to make for the safety of his future, and the future of his unborn sons.

The night that the newborn princes were introduced, Jadice made his way to Smidge and Poppy’s flower pod. His heart was racing. He was scared that someone would somehow be mad at him for being pregnant. They were Harper’s babies, and he had no idea what he was going to do. Giving birth alone as a dwarf sized troll was dangerous, and he had a double whammy of being pregnant with twins. He was absolutely petrified. He got to their pod and knocked on the door.

Poppy answered the door and smiled at Jadice. He was still gray, and he hadn’t seen him smile since the day Harper died. “What are you doing out in the cold alone? Come on in…” He let the young dwarf troll in. He went to warm up some coffee, knowing that Jadice loved coffee. “I’ll warm you up some coffee.”

“No coffee.” Jadice shook his head. “I won’t turn down hot cocoa though, if you have any…”

“Jadice? Are you alright?” Smidge walked over and wrapped a blanket around him. “It’s very cold tonight. You shouldn’t be out.”

Poppy nodded and went to make some hot cocoa.

Jadice broke down and cried into his hands. “I’m pregnant. I’m so scared…”

Smidge’s eyes went wide. He frowned and pulled his buddy into a hug. “Oh wow…” He ran his hand through Jadice’s gray hair and held him. “Don’t cry. This is a good thing. Harper gave you a special gift. He would have wanted it this way.”

Poppy got some hot cocoa made and came over to Jadice. He set the mug down at a coffee table and knelt to join in hugging Jadice. He had overheard about the pregnancy. “This is wonderful news. I’m so happy for you. This baby will be so blessed with a very loving father.”

“Babies…” Jadice sniffled and rubbed his face of tears. “I’m having twins.”

“Oh…” Smidge looked up at Poppy. He knew part of why Jadice was upset. “Jadice was a twin.” He didn’t want to share further. It wasn’t his story to tell, but Jadice’s birthing father was a dwarf troll, and he had died during childbirth. The first baby was too big. Jadice had survived the birth, because he was delivered through surgery, but his brother and father hadn’t. “It’s going to be alright Jadice. You’re going to be safe. I promise. Things are so much better here. The chances of you dying is slim. Besides, you’re too tough to kill over.”

“Oh yes, you’re going to be just fine Jadice. Gold and Dr. Saza take really good care of the pregnant trolls here. You’re safe.” Poppy reassured him.

“That’s not the only reason why I’m upset. Harper won’t ever get to meet his sons. It’s not fair.” Jadice sobbed into Poppy’s chest. He was shaking. “I miss him…”

“Aww, Jadice…” Smidge hated seeing him hurt. “I wish I could somehow bring him back…” He pulled him closer and rubbed his back gently. He began to sing to him. He wanted him to know he was there to support him. He wanted him to feel better so bad.

Poppy joined in the song. He wanted Jadice to know he was there for him too. He couldn’t imagine the pain he was going through. He couldn’t imagine life without Smidge.

Jadice listened to them and sniffled. He was glad they cared so much. It gave him a lot of hope. “You two have the biggest hearts.” He looked up at them. His eyes were watery with tears. “Thank you…”

“Let’s get you settled here for the night. I don’t want you out in the cold again.” Smidge walked him to their spare bedroom. “You can sleep here.”

“When you’re ready, I can run you a bath too. I’m sure it will help those tense muscles.” Poppy grabbed some extra blankets and set them down on the spare bedroom bed.

“You two just had babies a week ago. You should be resting, instead of taking care of me.” Jadice grabbed the cocoa and took a sip. He felt like they were spoiling him.

“Eh, I’ve been in worse pain.” Smidge shrugged. “The birth itself was awful, but I would take the few hours of pain over a constant throbbing headache like I had for months after that head injury. I’m a little sore, but it’s no big deal.”

“I’m alright. Chamomile wasn’t that big.” Poppy smiled warmly. “Are you hungry?”

“No, I’m just tired.” Jadice set his half full mug down on the coffee table and crawled into the bed. He curled up on his side. He was very tired due to the pregnancy, and the stress and fear from the pregnancy.

“Get some sleep.” Smidge put a blanket on top of Jadice. He backed out of the room and shut off the light. He turned to Poppy and frowned. “He can’t be alone.”

“I agree.” Poppy looked concerned. “Are you still in love with him?”

“Of course, I am.” Smidge sighed and rubbed the back of his head. “Now is not the right time to ask though. We need to give him time.”

Poppy nodded in agreement. “Yes, he needs some time. I’m worried about him.” He was more then happy to let Jadice join their family. He was a sweetheart. He hoped that one day they could win his heart. He deserved nothing but the best.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the song Smidge and Poppy sang to Jadice. I do not own the song. All credit goes to the song artist and singer.
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UIgJDp84OY


	22. Sick Mama

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Branch has a run in with a nasty illness.

A few weeks later, Branch was curled up in bed with a high fever. She had her hand on her belly. She wasn’t sure what was going on, but she was in a lot of pain. She was afraid to wake her mates up. She swallowed hard. They thought she was just fighting a virus, and Guy Diamond had fed the twins for her, so that she wouldn’t give them what she had. They had no idea that she was sicker than that. She got up and went to go take a cool bath. She was hoping to take care of this fever on her own. Once it was running, she removed her nightwear, and stepped into the water. She shivered as she sank into the water. She was miserable.

Guy Diamond got up to go to the bathroom. He walked into the bathroom and frowned, seeing Branch in the bathtub, shivering. He sat down on the toilet. “What’s wrong mama?” He looked worried. She had been hiding pain as much as possible lately, so to see her in pain, told him that something was very wrong.

“I don’t know.” Branch swallowed hard and looked over at him. “I don’t feel good. I haven’t felt like this before. I’m so nauseous…”

Guy Diamond finished and flushed the toilet. He washed his hands, and then went to check her forehead. “You’re so hot.” He began to drain the tub. “I’m taking you to the medical pod.” He helped her out of the bathtub and dried her off. He walked her to the bedroom and had her sit down. “It’s cold mama. Here…” He helped her into clean nightwear. “Creek?! Wake up daddy, Branch is very sick.”

Creek groaned and rubbed his eyes. He heard the words ‘very sick’ and quickly got to his feet. He got dressed and tucked River, Peridot, and Lilac into his hair. He looked worried. It had been quite some time since the last time she had been sick. The last time being right after she came home from being captive because of Tourmaline, due to iron poisoning. The liver and other organs had made her very ill. He was worried that Tourmaline had done something else to her that caused permanent damage.

Branch felt so ill. She groaned and began to sing to them softly. She had a feeling with how sick she was, that she might die. She wished she said something to them sooner, but she had been afraid to bother them.

“I’m glad we make you safe mama, but don’t sing like you’re going to die. You’re not leaving us without a fight.” Guy Diamond picked her up and rushed towards the medical pod with her. Once there, he set her down.

Dr. Saza walked over and checked Branch. “You have a high fever Branch. Are you in pain?”

Creek followed Guy Diamond. His heart raced as they made their way to the medical pod. Once inside, he stood by and watched Dr. Saza check Branch over.

“My belly…” Branch screamed in agony when he touched it. She grasped the sides of the bed and cried hard. She was in so much pain. She rolled onto her side and began to vomit.

Guy Diamond cringed and grabbed a trashcan. He held it for her as she got sick into it. “Branch…” Tears filled his eyes and ran down his cheeks.

Creek frowned and teared up. “I’m sorry sweetheart.”

Dr. Saza waited until she was done getting sick. He looked at all three of them. “She’s got some sort of infection in her abdomen. Probably appendicitis. I need to remove her appendix immediately if that’s the case. Do I have permission to take her back?”

Branch took deep breaths. She was hurting so bad.

Creek and Guy Diamond nodded without hesitation. They wanted her to feel better.

Dr. Saza picked her up gently and carried her to the back. He began preforming the life saving surgery on her immediately.

Creek busied himself by cleaning up Branch’s vomit. He had a grim look on his face. He never liked seeing Branch in pain. He was so worried that she was going to slip away on them.

Guy Diamond began to pace. He feared that they would lose her too.

A couple of hours later, Dr. Saza came back out with Branch. He set her up in a bed and covered her up. “She’s should be alright now but will need to be on anti-bacterial medications for a couple of weeks. It was appendicitis. If she came in any later, she may have gotten a bad infection, that would have certainly killed her. Thank you for getting her in here.”

Creek walked over to Branch and held her hand. He ran his hand along her royal blue hair. “Poor mama.” He was glad she was going to make it. That had been scary. “Hang in there mama. You’re very strong.”

Guy Diamond sat down by Branch and looked at her belly. He hoped she would make a full recovery. She had been through enough yuck. He hoped life would calm down for her from now on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the song that Branch sang. I do not own the song. All credit goes to the song writer and artist.
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bayeu-W0aJ8


	23. Tough As Beans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Branch gets lots of company while in the medical pod.

Branch was starting to come out of anesthesia and was whimpering as she had a recall dream. Her facial expression expressed deep fear. She was dreaming of an incident in her youth.

___________________________________________________________________________

“Please don’t…” Branch was being pinned down by her father. He had caught her getting into the food pantry before it was the time allowed for her to make supper. She was only eight years old, and she already knew how to do a lot of things that some trollings didn’t know how to do until their teens. She had become hungry and was attempting to make dinner earlier.

“You are trying to steal food! You little thief!” Branch’s father proceeded to beat her.

Sky came running in and got between his father and his sister. A struggle between the two proceeded, until a loud pop was heard. 

Branch looked up and saw that Sky’s arm was dangling and bent in an odd manner. She cringed and held her arm. She knew how much that hurt.

“Don’t get between us next time!” The angry male pushed the injured boy over, and then left to go drink. He had become an alcoholic after the twin’s dad died giving birth to them. He had been abusive towards them their entire lives and was very hard to please.

“Let’s go to Smidge’s. His dad will be able to fix that.” Branch helped Sky up and headed for the door. She felt so bad for him.

“It hurts…” Sky held his injured arm. He had tears in his eyes.

_______________________________________________________________________________

“Branch? Wake up my love…” Creek was afraid to touch her. He had done that before and she ended up waking up screaming. With a surgical incision, he didn’t want her startling that badly. He didn’t like that she was whimpering in her sleep. He hated when she had nightmares.

Branch’s eyes fluttered open. “Sky?” She called him weakly. She wanted to make sure he was safe. She winced, feeling the dull ache in her belly from the surgery. Thankfully she was on heavy pain medication, so her pain level wasn’t as bad as it was before the surgery.

“I’m right here sis.” Sky got up and took her hand. “You gave us all a huge scare. I’m glad you’re awake…”

Guy Diamond looked up. He was currently feeding Peridot. “Look Peridot, mama is awake.” He was very relieved.

“Hi mama…” Basil was right beside the bed. He had insisted he come make sure his mama was alright.

Victory was there too, snuggled right beside her and sucking on his thumb. He didn’t want to leave his mama’s side. She scared him with her nightmare. He was very worried.

Creek took her free hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “We’re all here for you mama. You’re very sick. You’re going to be in the medical pod for a few days.”

“Say something next time you’re in that much pain. We could have lost you.” Smidge walked over and crossed his arms. “If you die on me, I will resurrect you so I can kill you myself.”

“Smidge is almost scary.” Branch whispered. She knew he wouldn’t hurt a hair on her head. He never had, and she knew he never would. He was just as protective of her as Sky was.

Sky smacked Smidge upside the head with his hair. A hair whapping fest started between the two. They ended up wrestling. Smidge smirked when he pinned Sky down.

“I win as usual.” Smidge looked down at Sky and smirked.

“Alright you two, cool it.” Poppy walked over and pulled Smidge off of Sky. “We don’t need anyone bumping into Branch’s bed.

Jadice walked over and stood on his tippy toes. “Are you feeling better Branch?” He was worried about her.

“I feel better.” Branch looked around and noticed the medical pod was full of friends and her family. “Did I miss a party?”

“No sweetheart, everyone’s worried about you. We all wanted to be here when you woke up. You scared us.” Creek gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek.

“Don’t say party too loud. Poppy might start one.” Guy Diamond chuckled and looked over at Poppy.

“Branch? I wanted to talk to you about the twins.” Humble walked over and sat down beside her. “Jasper and I have talked, and as sweet as you are for offering them, we have decided to decline. You’ve been through enough, and I don’t feel right taking them.” He smiled softly. “Besides, I just found out I’m pregnant. We’re going to be alright.”

Branch frowned and looked over at him. “I can’t pawn off my twins? Oh Humble, you have no idea how full our hands are with eleven children.” She wobbled her lip, pretending to be offended. She knew he was trying to make her feel better. It hadn’t been easy giving up her twins, but she wanted to make sure Humble and Jasper were taken care of.

“She’s feeling well enough to be a little sarcastic. That’s a good sign.” Sky could tell she was pulling Humble’s leg. “I know she loves those babies. She is not trying to pawn them off.”

“It could be the pain medicine too.” Creek smiled softly. They were warned she might be a little loopy. “She wouldn’t give away the twins to just anyone, so feel blessed that she offered.”

“Mama? You were going to give away the babies?” Basil’s eyes went wide. He shook his head and frowned. “No!”

“We both feel blessed and we gained several friends because of you Branch. Thank you.” Humble smiled softly when Basil got mad.

“I was going to give them as a gift for a very special heart.” Branch winced and shifted.

“They stay with us.” Basil crossed his arms. He was not amused.

“Looks like they are staying with you after all Branch.” Guy Diamond chuckled and put Peridot on her chest. “He misses you mama.” He pulled Lilac out of his hair and began to feed him next.

Branch held her son close and ran her hand along his glitter cheek. “I’m stuck with you baby boy.” She didn’t mind. If Humble and Jasper changed their minds, she was OK with that. She was just trying to show how much she appreciated them.


	24. Love After Loss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jadice learns how to move on.

A few weeks later, Jadice was on his way to visit Poppy and Smidge. They had invited him over for dinner. He was dressed warmly and had his hand on his tiny baby bump. He was starting to show at three months along. He got to their flower pod and knocked on the door.

Smidge grinned and ran to the door. He opened it and let Jadice in. He had a demonic grin on his face as he headed towards the kitchen. He had made sure to make Jadice’s favorite, smoked fish with greens and roasted pine nuts. Smidge didn’t care much for fish, but he would do it for Jadice.

Poppy had the table arranged nicely and was setting up glasses of almond milk. He had a big smile on his face. They had plans with Jadice after dinner.

“I thought you hated fish.” Jadice got to the table and sat down. “Thank you for dinner.” He waited for them to sit down.

“Eh, I know you like it. I’ll live.” Smidge helped Jadice into a chair, and then went to sit down. “Besides, Poppy is a great cook. I’ll eat it since he made it.” He smiled at his husband and then stuck out his tongue.

“Smidge better watch it, or he might end up in the beetle house.” Poppy stuck out his tongue, and then sat down. “Enjoy the dinner. We made it special for you.”

Jadice began to eat happily. He loved the flavors of the fish and greens. He kept glancing up and smiled softly when he noticed that Smidge was gagging. “You shouldn’t force yourself to eat it.”

“He’s probably pregnant.” Poppy was teasing. He knew he hated fish.

Smidge put his fork down and took a drink of the almond milk. He got up and went to take anti-nausea medication before he did puke.

“He had a baby six weeks ago. That’s so soon after having Parsley.” Jadice looked worried.

“I was kidding.” Poppy smiled softly. “He hates fish.” He was surprised Smidge even tried it.

Smidge came back and took his plate. He shoved it in front of Poppy and sat back down with the greens, nuts, and almond milk. He didn’t want to finish his fish. He took the medicine and looked over at Jadice. “Jadice, Poppy and I have been talking, and we really want you to be a part of our family. We’re worried about you and the twins. We would feel better if you’re with us to have them. We don’t want to lose you.”

Jadice blushed and looked between them. He looked down at his plate and frowned. “I’ll lose you two too.” Tears filled his eyes and ran down his cheeks. He felt like everyone he ever got really close to got hurt or killed.

“No Jadice, you won’t lose us. Not anytime soon.” Poppy reassured. “We’re very protected as royalty. You’re going to be safe, and we’re going to be safe. I promise.”

“They’ll have a hell of a fight in their hands before I kill over.” Smidge smirked. “I’ve survived a head injury that should have killed me. I can handle anything.” He got up and walked over to Jadice. He took his hand and caressed it. “I love you.”

“I love you too Smidge.” Jadice got of the seat and hugged into Smidge. Tears ran down his cheeks. “I’m so scared.”

Poppy walked over and hugged them both. “I know you’re scared, but we’re going to take very good care of you. You have nothing else to fear.”

“We got this. Everything is going to be just fine.” Smidge hugged Jadice and rubbed his back soothingly.

Jadice closed his eyes and sniffled. His colors began to slowly restore. “I accept, but I want my twins to know about their daddy and to know who he was and what happened. I don’t want them to be confused. Especially if they come out looking like him.”

“I agree.” Poppy smiled and ran his hand through Jadice’s light green hair. “They need to know all about Harper.”

Smidge grinned, seeing that Jadice was back to normal. He pulled him in and gave him a kiss. He was overjoyed.

Jadice widened his eyes but did kiss him back. He wasn’t expecting the sudden kiss.

Poppy grinned and waited his turn. When Smidge let Jadice go, he tested his own kiss.

Jadice barely got a breath in, before Poppy pulled him in for a kiss. He returned the kiss and groaned. He reached over to Poppy’s crouch and rubbed it, feeling for how big he was. He was very curious. He already knew Smidge was large. He had seen him nude before when they were teens by accident. They did live together for three years after all. A grin spread on his face when they broke the kiss. “You’re big.”

Smidge laughed and looked at Poppy. “You’ve been approved.”

Poppy groaned and rubbed his member. Jadice’s touch had felt good. He had him look up and smiled. “Mm…yes, I’m big.” He kissed Jadice again.

Jadice reached into Poppy’s pants and rubbed him gently. Hormones had him hot and bothered. He wanted to mate so bad. He had been wanting to for some time, but he had no one to share that time with.

Smidge pulled Poppy’s pants off, and then removed his own pants. His member was already swollen from watching them. He began taking Jadice’s pants off.

Poppy helped remove Jadice’s sweater. He pulled his own shirt off and helped Smidge out of his sweater. He picked up Jadice and carried him towards the bedroom. He wanted to mate on the comfortable bed. He set him down and kissed him along his neck and shoulder.

Jadice mumbled happily, and gasped when he suddenly felt Smidge’s hand on his own member. He moaned and grasped into Poppy’s arm. “Feels so good…”

Smidge rubbed him for a few minutes, and then took Jadice’s member into his mouth. He began to suckle gently.

Poppy moved out of Smidge’s way but continued to kiss along Jadice’s chest and belly. He reached over to Smidge and kissed his nose. He laughed when Smidge grabbed his hair and pulled. “Frisky…”

Jadice moaned loudly and grasped the sheets with his hands. He was very pleased. “Please…” He wanted to mate so badly.

Smidge repositioned so he was over Jadice. He kissed him passionately as he pushed his length into him. He began thrusting his hips eagerly. He was very pleased.

Poppy grinned and positioned so he was over Smidge. He gently pushed his length into Smidge and began rocking his hips gently at first, and then rougher as a good rhythm began. He moaned in pleasure.

Jadice arched his back and moaned loudly. He was very pleased. He was one very happy boy.

They continued to mate with each other, well into the night. Dinner had long been forgotten and had only been half eaten. They eventually passed out, snuggled up together, and one happy family.


	25. A Biggie Wedding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone gathers for a wedding.

Two months had gone by since Jadice joined the royal family. They had got married privately at Jadice’s request. After literally being tied to Harper the moment he died, he didn’t want to have another public wedding. He was afraid of a repeat. Not long after, Biggie asked Sable for his hand. Sable had accepted. They decided to join hands on the last day of the second month of spring. They wanted lots of flowers at their wedding, and there were lots of flowers in deed. They were all getting ready in the bunker for the big day.

“I want lots of pictures. Are you sure you can handle it?” Biggie wasn’t used to being the one that wasn’t taking pictures. He had put Sassafras in charge of taking the pictures for him and Sable.

“I got this. Go enjoy yourself.” Sassafras smirked and looked over at DJ Suki. They had also recently got married. He was a happy troll.

“Go enjoy your special day.” DJ Suki walked over and fixed Biggie’s tie. It was a little crooked. “You look great.”

“Thank you both.” Biggie hugged them, and then went to go check on Sable. The large dark blue giant troll was very nervous. He was sporting a dark blue suit and white tie. He had Mr. Dinkles in a matching suit and a dark blue top hat. The little worm was riding on his shoulder. “Are you doing OK Sable?”

“I don’t know how any one likes wearing clothes. I feel like I’m going to suffocate.” Sable was tense as Branch helped him with his tie. He gagged, feeling like the tie was going to chock him. He was wearing a matching suit to Biggie’s suit. The white glitter troll was not used to wearing clothes.

“It’s only for a few hours Sable. Guy’s wearing a suit too. Look…” Branch pointed towards Guy Diamond, who was wearing a light blue suit under duress. She was wearing a dress, despite everyone telling her she didn’t have to. It was light pink with light green lace. It ran all the way down to her feet. She insisted she look nice for Sable and Biggie’s wedding. They were both special to her. They all were. They had all helped her get through the hardest time in her life. She was looking much better today. She had made a full recovery from her surgery, and it seemed that she had recovered from her two week capture with Tourmaline.

Basil went running by them. He was wearing nothing at all. He giggled as Creek chased him around. “Sapphire and Aquamarine are naked. I get to be naked too!”

“They are dressing for the wedding too! Get your butt back over here!” Creek caught him and walked towards his bedroom.

“No!!!” Basil sobbed. He wanted to be naked. “No!”

Victory had his hand over his mouth and was giggling. He was right beside Branch. He was feeling a lot better too. He was already dressed. The only things he had as a reminder of his rough first years of life, was a large scar that ran down his chest from the three surgeries he had had, and he was much smaller then normal for a trolling his age.

“Well, I didn’t think I would ever see this.” Citrine walked over and smiled. “We’re all proud of you Paprika. You have come a long way.”

Paprika had little Ruby in his arm. He was dressed up for the wedding and had just put Ruby in his suit. He had slowly bonded with Sky and Stream and had been regularly holding his son. He was making good steps towards being a part of his baby boy’s life. “If Branch can do it, so can I.” He looked down at his son and smiled softly. He was still nervous that Ruby would be like his dad, but he was going to give him the benefit of doubt.

“Peridot is a little angel.” Branch smiled at them. She pulled him out of her hair and looked at the chubby little blue/green rainbow glitter trolling. “Who’s a good baby? You are!” She touched noses with him and smiled when he giggled. “That’s my baby boy…”

Jadice came waddling in. The five-month along pregnant troll looked exhausted. “Biggie, you’re lucky I love you and Sable, because I almost didn’t come. Sorry I won’t be dressing up.”

“Holy trolling Jadice, are you sure that you’re not having triplets? You look like you might explode.” Sable’s eyes were wide. Poor Jadice was so round.

“That’s not funny.” Jadice glared at Sable, even though he wondered the same thing. He was very worried that one of the twins was going to be big. There were two pods in there. One very large one, and one tiny one. He had a planned surgery coming when and if he made it to five and a half months along. No one wanted him to give birth and die on them.

“There are two pods. Unless the big one is identical twins, he won’t be having triplets.” Poppy looked nervous. He stayed by Jadice. He didn’t want his pregnant mate to come, but Jadice had insisted he be there for his friends.

“It’s time to get going.” Smidge motioned for them all to go outside.

Everyone began walking towards the concert mushroom. Once everyone was gathered, King Peppy said the vows. He did one thing different today though. Instead of tying their hands together, he had them hold hands. Yarrow had broken that tradition. Never again would he have what happened to Jadice happen again. 

Once vows were said and Biggie and Sable kissed, everyone cheered and began singing a song. This was the first public wedding since Yarrow had attacked Harper. It was definitely worthy of a celebration.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the song that the trolls sang at the end of the wedding. I do not own the song. All credit goes to the song writer and artist.
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0y6uvABtSA


	26. A Beautiful Legacy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harper’s children are his last legacy, and Jadice couldn’t be prouder of them.

A couple of weeks later, Jadice got ready to take a bath. Out of habit, he locked the door. He stepped on a stool and climbed into the water. He was very round in the midsection and so uncomfortable. He tried to relax in the water, but it felt like his babies were really stretching today. He was in pain. He hadn’t realized it yet, but he was in labor.

Smidge was busy feeding Parsley and Chamomile. Poppy had left to go run a few errands. Neither of them were aware that Jadice was in pain. They were going to take Jadice into the medical pod after his bath to have his surgery. He had made it far enough along to safely have them without too many issues.

Jadice felt a particularly strong contraction. He put his hand on his belly and groaned. “Oh god, that really hurts.” He finished his bath quickly, and then tried to get out of the bathtub. He yelped, feeling another contraction. “Smidge?!”

Smidge put his sons in his hair and walked over to the door and tried to open it. “You locked the door? What’s wrong Jadice?”

“I can’t get out of the bathtub.” Jadice breathed hard. He grabbed a towel, which was barely within reach. He set it down on the edge of the tub, so it was ready for when someone came in to save him. He groaned and carefully laid back down. “I think I’m in labor.”

Smidge cursed profusely. He hurried to the front door and yelled out loudly. “I need help in here!” He was two months pregnant himself and didn’t want to kick down the door if he could help it. He hurried back over to the door and bit his bottom lip. “Hold on Jadice, help is going to come.”

Jadice breathed hard and watched the door. “It hurts so bad…”

“I know it does Jadice.” Smidge looked at the door when he heard Poppy come in. “He’s in labor.”

Poppy walked over to the door and tried to open it. He frowned and looked down at Smidge. “Stand back.” He waited for Smidge to back away, and then took his foot and kicked the door down. He was going to keep his promise of keeping Jadice safe.

Jadice cried out in pain and startled when Poppy kicked the door down. He reached down and grabbed a tiny dwarf baby was he was born. He was rainbow colored like Harper with splashes of color in his hair. Jadice put him on his chest and sobbed in fear as Poppy hurried over and began drying the baby off. “I couldn’t stop it!”

Poppy got the baby dry and smiled when he began letting out wails. “Let’s get out of the bathtub and to the medical pod daddy. You’re going to be just fine.” He began draining the tub. He gently picked the baby up and gave him to Smidge. He helped Jadice out of the tub and began drying him off.

Smidge looked down at the pretty baby. “You look like your daddy Harper.” He smiled up at Jadice. “I love you Jadice.”

“I love you too!!!” Jadice cried out and held his belly. He spread his legs, feeling another baby starting to emerge. “I’m going to die!!!”

“We got this Jadice. It’s going to be OK daddy.” Poppy saw him spread his legs. He checked and noticed that another baby was coming out. He grabbed him as he was born. “Another rainbow baby.” He got him cleaned up and gave him to Smidge. “Let’s go daddy.” He picked up Jadice gently. He wanted to get him to the medical pod to make sure he was alright, even though the twins were born.

“Identical twins. Poppy? I think Sable was right. Triplets. Set him down on the bed.” Smidge looked very worried. He didn’t want the third baby to fall to the floor.

Jadice breathed hard and looked at them with wide eyes. He was so scared that he would die.

Poppy nodded and set Jadice down in their bed. He checked to see if another baby was coming or not. Sure enough, there was one more. “You’re alright Jadice. One more baby.”

Smidge watched on with wide eyes. He had Jadice’s identical twin boys in his arms. Both were wailing and healthy.

Jadice cried out as a third baby was born. He looked up and breathed hard. This one was dwarf sized too, and was three different shades of pink, green, and yellow, with three toned red, blue, and yellow hair. He cried as Poppy cleaned him. “They all came out rainbow dwarf trollings.” He was so surprised. Rainbow trolls were supposed to be almost unheard of.

Poppy got him cleaned up, and then gently set him in his hair. He picked up Jadice and rushed towards the medical pod with him. Smidge was right on his heels. When they arrived, Poppy gently sat Jadice down. “Gold? Your job is easy today. He had all three naturally. Long story short, they didn’t want to wait.” He took the last born out of his hair and gave him to Jadice.

Gold walked over and checked Jadice for tears. He didn’t have any. He looked up and smiled. “No tears.” He walked over and checked the last born. “He’s healthy.” He checked the twins in Smidge’s arms. “These two are healthy too.” He was grateful. Jadice was very lucky. “Good job Jadice.”

Smidge sighed in relief and helped Jadice set up to feed two of the babies. He fed one of the babies for him. “They’re so cute.”

Jadice sniffled and cried happy tears. “I want to name them Melody, Symphony, and Rhythm. In Harper’s honor.” He cradled the two babies he was feeding. He was so proud. “They’re so beautiful.”

“I’m so proud of you Jadice.” Poppy reached down and kissed him gently. “I know Harper would be proud too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This ends part 2 of "A Single Flower". There is a planned part 3 that will be coming soon. Hope you enjoyed!


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